Ex Libris

A simple photographic project thinking about the book as an induvial physical object, with its own story, regardless of the narrative contained within its pages.

My grandfather was an avid collector of C19 and C18 books. Many were obtained from the libraries of the 'Lace Barons' in Nottingham, as that industry and the wealth around it declined.  

Here I've photographed the inside cover and each case a book plate. In many there's a clear indication of an earlier owner's ex-libris marker or book plate beneath the most visible one, others have marks from the auction house or book seller, while other's have my grandfather's ex-libris stamp.

The books were all photographed at the same scale and printed 1:1 with a variable amount of background into the same size of frame.

Amongst the often rich background of marble end papers, and the edges of the leather binding, we have these various traces which hint at the story and experience of these individual objects, forever intertwined with the stories within their pages.