Bookplates are useful, especially when you can cover up an inscription to someone other kid when you nab a great book at the thrift store or secondhand book stores. Otherwise, we only use bookplates in books that we'd never get rid of, the ones we'll save forever & pass on to our grandkids.

i can't bring myself to use bookplates. however, i like what abbygraykit does, only using them for books you know you'll keep forever. we do have books for our kids that were ours or our siblings from when we were little and many of them have our names written in them, that's kind of fun to see. but overall, i avoid stickers and bookplates because i love to donate, gift and buy used books and they're better left unmarked, in my opinion.

my mother used to have a bookplate stamp with a line for your name and an image of moses holding a tablet which said "thou shalt not steal thy neighbor's book." i adore that bookplate.

my parents also always wrote in gift books who it was to, from, and the occasion. it's really quite nice to look back on now.

When I was just a little bookworm, my grandfather gave me a set of bookplates, all filled out in calligraphy. I put them in "special" books when I was a kid and young adult, and now that I share these books with my own children and my grandfather has passed away, the plates themselves are treasures.
I am wondering about a new kind of bookplate. "(Name) loves this book", with some space for multiple names, so the book love could be passed around!

I never mind bookplates in hand me down books, I like that it gives some sort of history to who may have owned the book before me. I remember I used to write my name in some of the books I loved before passing them on to someone else or donating them. I like to think that it happened each time the book was passed along.

I love them. I'm making a set to give to a co-worker that is expecting

I like the idea, and I have some bookplates, but don't use them often, for no particular reason. I used to teach middle school, so all of my personal books were clearly marked with a black permanent label. I'm a book lover, and it doesn't bother me at all to get used books with names or writing in them. In fact, I enjoy seeing that because it gives the book a bit of history.

Now, what really breaks my heart is seeing a book destroyed for a craft project, but that's another post. :)

They are so nice, but as listed, not great, but so what. Go for it now and worry later.

I have beautiful embossing presses (is that the right word?) and i am hesitant to use them, but i'm pretty sure i'll get them for my kids too and they can all stamp the front pages multiple times no doubt.

We own too many books to put bookplates in. I think they're fabulous and when I was pregnant with my daughter I started a vintage little golden books collection for her. I had every intention of putting bookplates in the books but... there are just too many of them. I constantly buy books second hand for our family because it's fun to find them for cheap and you can get so many for your money, and that way I have no problem donating back the books that weren't loved. But there's just too many. Not a bad problem to have though :)

I’m a non-user for exactly the same reasons. I love the quaintness, designs, and concept of personalization, but they make a book awkward to pass on (even to a sibling, if the first name is used) and less valuable to resell. Doesn’t keep me from browsing them on etsy… but I just can’t pull the trigger.

I have considered them for second-hand books that already have a name written in them, though.

And I have considered them for my own library, since I never seem to be able to get loaned books back!

What if you used a removable adhesive like post it paper or post it glue?

I use them for any job-related books that I keep at work to make sure I get them back.

As far as passing on a book to someone else, what if you added a new bookplate, under or above yours, with their name on it? If you were passing it to friends and family, it could be a nice way for them to remember that it was you who gave them the book and might encourage them to share as well.

As a third child, I was permanently scarred by the fact that all our books "belonged" to my sisters, not me.

No bookplates, I write directly on the page. They are cute but half the time there isn't a proper space these days. It's fussy in practice, to me. I know someone who slaps in an address label for their family - smaller and already have it around. I like the idea of a bookplate saying "Kids who have loved this book".

When I give an extra special book I write a dedication in it. Beyond that, we don't label.

I do feel bad donating a dedicated book, I remove the fly leaf page first. Or cross it out with magic marker.

I'm with Sugarbakers. Write a family name, ya know?!

i write directly on the page, too. yeah, it might be awkward if the book is passed on a year later or haphazardly, but i personally love finding a vintage book in a shop with a long-ago inscription. inscribe away!

I love buying vintage books, and I treasure those with gift inscriptions and bookplates so much!! It shows that someone once really cared about someone, or that someone really loved their books.

I put bookplates in all my books, especially as I often lend them out to friends and family.

I just can't wrap my mind around an aversion to bookplates. I see them as a historical record...providence...and sooo much more. I have a sizeable library of 'new' books, none of which can compare to those which were well-loved before they found me. These...are priceless.

LOVE THEM!!!! I read that part to my son when I read the book and he loves it. He gets bummed when its written for his sister!

We recently found a book made out to my sil "Never talk to Strangers". We all laughed when I read the book plate and decided that instead of giving it to my kids we would give it back to her. She talks to strangers...online dating and its not working!

To those who don't like used books with bookplates in them: slap a new bookplate over the old one. Problem solved.

I know someone who purchased a personalized embosser to use on their books. They had gone through too many lost books, and had too many in their library for book plates, so a quick embossing of their family name on the first page did the trick for them! An elegant solution for novels, but not so great for children's books.

As a librarian, I love love bookplates or when I pick up a used book and it has an inscription--gives the book a great history. I admit to being paralyzed though in choosing something though and we have so many books I couldn't do them all but would be nice to have in some books. I think writing in them is nice though and do this for special occasions. Nice to see handwriting and more free writing.