Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art Works

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Contest: Free bookplates, and the chance to win your own personal bookplate.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I've recently come into an unhealthy obsession with bookplates. Bookplates are those labels that go inside the front cover of the book and note who the owner is, or from whose library the book came from. They're magical! You can say "this is my book, so give it back" in a very polite and artistic way.

Yep. Bookplates are gold. In fact, a recent issue of The Lone Prairie Sometimer dealt with bookplates (PDF link), not only giving you a free bookplate but also a writing/art exercise dealing with bookplates.

It's logical, really. What more perfect way can an avid reader express her artistic whims and OCD book ownership issues than through book plates? Artists have long focused on creating beautiful bookplates.

The more I read up on book plates and the more books I buy that talk about bookplates (which then require that I put my bookplate in them), the more I think it's a shame more people don't take an interest not only in the use of bookplates, but in creating or commissioning a bookplate for their use only. After all, this is the grand tradition of bookplates.

Contest! So here's what I'm offering to do in order to spread the love of bookplates: I'm giving you a chance to win your own free, commissioned bookplate design!

Entry in this contest is simple. Just email me, with the words "Bookplate Contest" in the subject line. In your email, tell me what book you would put your bookplate in first and why. Once I get ten entrants (which could take a few hours, a few days or a few months), I'll pick a winner based on the most creative book choice and response. I will then email that person and we'll hammer out the details. (See contest fine print at the bottom of this post.)

If I get a good response for this contest, I'll have more in the future. Always free. I'm a philanthropist!

But maybe you're wanting something right now while waiting for the contest winner to be announced. Don't worry. I'm not leaving you in the lurch, waiting. For those of you out there who love bookplates, I've found a few good web sites for you to get your free bookplate fill.

First of all, I, of course, have free bookplates made for anyone who wants them. I love free stuff. But there's a lot of other good places to look, too.

My Home Library: Lots of free and beautifully illustrated children's bookplates abound on this British web site.
The Bookplate Society: Need I say more?
Activity Village: More free bookplates for kids on this British site. (The British love books, evidently.)
The BookHive: A few full-color bookplates (and other stuff) are waiting for you on this site.
Bookplate.org: General discussion and links on all things bookplate.
Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie: A wonderful blog dedicated to bookplates!

Contest fine print for the winner: Your bookplate can contain an element representing a favorite hobby, your profession, a favorite animal, something historical, and so on. I can't depict copyrighted characters, nor will I depict anything lewd. I will mail you a CD with a high-res image of your bookplate for you to print and use, as well as eight printed bookplates. If you would prefer to remain "anonymous" or not give out your mailing address, I can email a high-res JPEG to you instead. Your bookplate will never be used for any other person on this planet: it's an original for you. However, you are not allowed to use it for anything but personal use; no commercial uses of my design are allowed without my written permission. My designs are copyrighted by me, Julie R. Neidlinger. The bookplate will be displayed on this site in a low-res format so readers can see it.

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ENTERED! FIND OUT WHO WON!