In making up these ornamental borders the type was usually set in the form of a parallelogram, occasionally in a square, oval, circle, or diamond, and seldom in fanciful shapes. The most ambitious plate of this kind which has come under my observation is that which once graced the books of Mary McGinley; this is a rather large plate, and the type is set in the form of an urn, within the lines of which are given the motto and the owner’s name.
A step in advance of these wholly typographical examples are those which employ a woodcut border to surround the name, and instances can be given of such a border enclosing the name printed from type; festoons of flowers or of cord, and draperies of cloth, were also used as a simple setting for the owner’s name. In this connection mention may be made of the work of T. Sparrow, an obscure engraver of Maryland; no heraldic or pictorial examples of his workmanship have been identified, and he probably confined himself to the simple woodcut designs of which but a small number are known. Always using a border of floriated scrolls, he never omitted an original contrivance which is the characteristic mark of his work,—a group of thirteen stars surrounded often by a wreath. This is always found in a prominent place, and is an indication of his patriotism as well as that of the owner of the plate.
It must not be supposed that the heraldic book-plate was an outgrowth or development of the name-label: not at all; they were contemporaneous and were both used in England long before they were here.
Coming now to the subject of mottoes, we find a wide field to travel over, many languages to read, many quotations to recognize, with hints and warnings, and even threatenings, by the score, from jealous book-lovers. Mottoes readily fall into two classes: those which are chosen by the owner for some personal reason, and those which are family mottoes, and which are used without thought because they are a family inheritance, or with a commendable pride in such legacies from an honorable ancestry. Latin is the language most often used probably, though English is a strong rival, while German, French, Greek, and even Hebrew and Welsh are also found upon our book-plates. Sentiments opposing the habit of book-borrowing are of frequent occurrence, and in some instances are of such severity as to leave no doubt of their effectiveness. For brevity and pointedness the following example can hardly be exceeded:—
This book was bought and paid for by
D. C. Colesworthy.
Borrowing neighbors are recommended
to supply themselves in the same manner.
Price seventy-five cents.