Pasting Bookplates Into Your Books
This is an enjoyable task; do not rush it but, instead, take the opportunity to spend time with - and enjoy - your books.
I do not paste plates into all of my books. For example, if I have a very valuable book, or a modern first edition that is in pristine condition, I usually lay the plate inside the front cover. Apart from this, I paste my bookplate into both books and portfolios.
Before you start, wash your hands and keep them clean at all stages of this procedure.
If I have supplied your bookplates, you will probably have a number of "practice" plates. You can use these to become more proficient by pasting them onto paper or into cheap paperbacks. I would suggest that you limit yourself to about a dozen books for your first attempt.
Here are the materials that I use:
Here you see a small pile of bookplates, scrap paper, a pencil, a small brush (of good enough quality to avoid bristles detaching themselves) glue, clean soft cloth and a container to mix in.
I recommend PVA (Polyvinyl acetate) glue as is is flexible, acid free and is easily thinned with water.
I mix up a mixture of about 60% glue and 40% water in the container. I normally use a little less water for paperbacks, giving myself a stiffer mixture.
I take a bookplate and place it inside the front cover of the book. I usually position plates by eye but it is better practice to use a ruler to make sure that the spacing is even each side of the plate. You can make faint pencil marks at each corner, if you wish:
It is now time to paste the bookplate into the book. Place it face down on clean scrap paper (I buy cheap photocopy paper) and take some paste on the brush. Use the practice plates and trial and error to determine how much paste to use on your plate. I hold the plate firmly with a finger and then brush the paste from the centre outwards. I hold the plate above the required position and then carefully, but deliberately, place it onto the book and smooth it down.
All being well, your bookplate is in the correct position. If a little too much glue has been used, then wipe it with a clean cloth that has been damped with clean water and squeezed to remove excess moisture. Wipe carefully and with a light touch to avoid damaging the surface of the paper.
I keep the book open to dry thoroughly. Now I can move on to the next book. The main danger for me is that I start reading through it and lose all track of time.
Sometime a book already has a bookplate. I suppose that one could just paste the new plate over the old but I prefer to add mine and so preserve the history of the book. Here is my copy of Eric Gill's "First Nudes":
I also paste plates into portfolios. Here, as an example, is a BAREN Group print exchange portfolio:
I hope that you enjoy your bookplates. Remember, above all else, to take your time. Do please contact me if you have any questions.
Andy English. September 2006
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