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Posted

Well... since it's absolute crickets around here today, I thought I'd start a thread non-app related. 

 

I love to personalize my books, especially ones that I know will be central to my research (eg. after using the library copy for a few months, my own copy of Feeling of Kinship just arrived!) but I hate what my writing looks like on the inside cover/first page. I want to maybe invest in some "ex libris" stickers and/or personalized stamp but not sure if I want to end up stamping all my books. 

 

Anyone want to share his or her creative/unique methods for leaving your mark on books? 

 

PS. How rad is this?!

 

richard-sica-bookplate11.jpg

Posted (edited)

I received a personalized imprint stamp as a gift and I love it. Feels better to me than a sticker or my own handwriting.

Edited by pannpann
Posted

I haven't done them, but a friend of mine ordered Ex Libris bookplates for all her books and they were such a cool idea-- she designed them herself, which was a nice touch. I love checking out bookplates in libraries, so I'm always a big fan of that option. :)

Posted

I received a personalized imprint stamp as a gift and I love it. Feels better to me than a sticker or my own handwriting.

 

Maybe I'll put a personalized stamp on my wish list for this year! 

 

I haven't done them, but a friend of mine ordered Ex Libris bookplates for all her books and they were such a cool idea-- she designed them herself, which was a nice touch. I love checking out bookplates in libraries, so I'm always a big fan of that option. :)

 

Ohhh... I like the idea of designing your own. Do you know if your friend's bookplates were stickers or if she had to glue them in?

Posted

I used to write a little scrap of verse on the front page. Sometimes a couplet, sometimes four lines... Sometimes it had directly to do with the book itself, and sometimes it was just a random line or two that seemed appropriate at the time. The problem, of course, is that I got into this habit when I was around seventeen. And while I have some "juvenilia" that has stood the test of time, a lot of the front-page-writings that I thought were pithy at the time have not aged well at all. In many cases I have torn out the front page entirely, figuring that a missing page is less damning than an awful scrap of pseudo-poetry attributed to my name!

 

Having said all of that, I do fondly remember the inscription I bestowed on the first copy of an Auden book I bought (I had loved Auden for a long while, but for some reason never had a copy of my own):

 

Ah, to own the book of a certain Wystan Hugh
Is to find a gem amidst a field of residue,
It's been a long time coming, but in my hands I hold
A paper book of Auden more than worth its weight in gold!

Posted

I haven't done them, but a friend of mine ordered Ex Libris bookplates for all her books and they were such a cool idea-- she designed them herself, which was a nice touch. I love checking out bookplates in libraries, so I'm always a big fan of that option. :)

 

I too have a personalized ex libris stamp I ordered from etsy. :) It has my name and an image of one of my tattoos. I love it, but my ink is somewhat difficult to work with. If anyone has a recommendation for stamp ink that transfers well I'm all ears!

Posted

I too have a personalized ex libris stamp I ordered from etsy. :) It has my name and an image of one of my tattoos. I love it, but my ink is somewhat difficult to work with. If anyone has a recommendation for stamp ink that transfers well I'm all ears!

 

Have you tried Ranger Archival ink? http://smile.amazon.com/Ranger-AIP-31468-Archival-Inkpad-Black/dp/B0056ETF8I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425523403&sr=8-1&keywords=archival+black+ink

 

it's indeed, archival, which means it won't damage the book and will be there forever. It's also quick drying, so smudge free!

Posted

 

Ohhh... I like the idea of designing your own. Do you know if your friend's bookplates were stickers or if she had to glue them in?

 

Hmm, I'm not sure-- I think she glued them in!

Posted

Have you tried Ranger Archival ink? http://smile.amazon.com/Ranger-AIP-31468-Archival-Inkpad-Black/dp/B0056ETF8I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425523403&sr=8-1&keywords=archival+black+ink

 

it's indeed, archival, which means it won't damage the book and will be there forever. It's also quick drying, so smudge free!

Thanks!!!! And thanks for the smile link; I use smile wherever I remember to, which, unfortunately, isn't every time I make a purchase on Amazon.

Posted

Thanks!!!! And thanks for the smile link; I use smile wherever I remember to, which, unfortunately, isn't every time I make a purchase on Amazon.

 

You're welcome! I try to use smile whenever I order from amazon to alleviate some of the guilt of not using a local bookstore.

 

It's funny, I actually just purchased personalized book stamps for my recommenders. I can't remember who was looking for a gift idea in the forum, but this was the one I went with.

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