Small emblems, vast stories. A visual history of ownership. Walter Hamilton's Dated Book-Plates (Ex Libris) With A Treatise On Their Origin And Development is a careful convergence of scholarship and connoisseurship: dated examples sit beside a lucid treatise on the origin of ex libris, while illustrated bookplate designs are described with attention to both craft and context. Part ex libris reference guide and part aesthetic catalogue, the work serves anyone assembling an antique bookplate collection and rewards collectors and librarians who use printed marks as provenance. Hamilton traces the history of bookplates with exactness and warmth, revealing how simple ownership labels evolved into a recognised form of bookplate art development that captures changing tastes and social histories. Dated examples make the volume a practical tool for attributing styles and situating plates within the nineteenth century and beyond, so casual viewers and specialists alike can read a book's past from the mark it bears. Historically significant in British bookplate history, the book follows the arc from nineteenth century bookplates through the flourish of Victorian era book art to the ornamental experiments that produced art nouveau bookplates, making it essential for rare book enthusiasts and for students of decorative printing. As a document of visual taste and social practice, Hamilton's study bridges bibliographical scholarship and the decorative arts, offering context prized by cataloguers, dealers and institutional collections. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike. Accessible to casual readers curious about the small marvels pasted inside old bindings and indispensable to classic-literature collectors, this edition restores a specialist resource to public view while serving as a cultured object for any shelf. An essential reference for provenance and taste.