So having decided I should design a bookplate, I went looking for inspiration. I pinned a range of them to a dedicated “Beautiful Bookplates” Pinterest board. There are some lovely modern bookplates in there. I also have this book.

It seems owls, cats and trees are very common subjects for bookplates. There are lots of pretty women reading books and, of course, pictures of books. There are also versions of the book stealer’s curse.

I’m thinking of drawing a sea turtle. Slow on land, but surprisingly agile once immersed. Hard on the outside, apparently very tasty on the inside. (And they eat jellyfish, so I already have an affection for them.)

What would you put on your own personal bookplate? Do you have an animal you identify with? Or a plant? Or some other symbol? Do you like the old style of bookplate, or something more modern? Do you even use bookplates?