The art of the book inscription

We have many collectors of rare books that come into the antiques mall. Over the years we have had some wonderful  book dealers too. One book dealer told me that he loves to collect books by their inscriptions. If it has a great sentimentality or humor he saves it for himself. Another reason we save books with family inscriptions is that it is a wonderful family record.

 Beautiful, funny, sentimental or ancestral, book inscriptions have everything to do with what makes collecting so worthwhile: the evidence of relationships.


Here are a few from the net:

Here is a common inscription. The book was Little Women. It's only special to me because it was my mom's book when she was young. It is a great family record.

Another family record. This book belonged a cousin of my great grandfather Jeff Henderson. The book was a beloved school book, The American Educational Readers. Fifth Reader. 1891