It were, indeed, as ridiculous as “gilding refined gold, or painting the lily,” to venture to describe the coquettish _Parisienne_ on the plate of _G. Malet_; or the fanciful design for _Georges Mantin_; the charming decorative plate of _Henri Tausin_, or the quaint monogram designed for _Alexis Martin_ by Aglaüs Bouvenne. _Art pour l’Art_, _Fantaisie_, _Diablerie_; democratic ideas prevalent in the mottoes, armorial bearings discarded, even titles and prefixes of honour abandoned by those who have the most right to use them. Henri Béraldi goes even further, and asserts that the size of a man’s book-plate is in inverse ratio to the value of his library, but let him speak for himself: [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF ALEXIS MARTIN. By Aglaüs Bouvenne.] “Il est à remarquer, qu’aujourd’hui les vrais Bibliophiles s’efforcent de contaminer le moins possible leurs livres par l’apposition de leurs Ex-Libris. Ils ont donc des Ex-Libris aussi petits que possible. En général, ce sont de simples filets d’encadrements entourant le nom. On les fait faire par son relieur. Les non-Bibliophiles ont des Ex-Libris gigantesques, où ils étalent des blasons, des chiffres, des emblèmes, des devises, des rébus, des sujets de guerre, placards qui encombrent toute la garde des volumes. On devrait se garder de déposer ces choses-là sur des livres precieux.” “Considérons l’Ex-Libris comme un aréomètre servant à titrer le degré de force bibliophilique de son possesseur, et formulons un axiome à la Balzac: [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF HENRI GRESLIE.] _La valeur d’un Bibliophile est en raison inverse de la dimension de son Ex-Libris._” We protest, and pass on. [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF AUGUSTE GEOFFROY.] [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF ALEXANDRE GEOFFROY. Designed by Henry André.] During the last few years an artist has come to the front, Mons. Henry André, who has devoted so much of his invention and his skill to book-plates that it is difficult to decide which of his numerous works to select as best illustrating his style. He has kindly permitted eight designs to be reproduced; one, that of Doctor F. Bargallò, will be found amongst the medical plates, the others are those belonging to Messieurs Auguste Geoffroy, an art expert; Alexandre Geoffrey, an art critic, with the telling motto, “A Tous Vents Je Seme,” appropriate to the editor of such a journal as “La Curiosité Universelle”; Jules Lermina, also a man of letters, with the motto “Fiat Lux” emerging from the clouds, a very quaint and original conception; Ch. Guinot, a poet and a bibliophile, with the emblems of death and immortality. [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF JULES LERMINA. Designed by Henry André.]