Ex libris stamps from yesterday to today.

Ex libris is a Latin phrase translatable as "from books", which generally indicates a mark used to prove the property of a book. The history of the former Libris is as ancient as books, already in medieval manuscripts it is possible to find writings that attest to the identity of the owner or warnings towards those who did not return the books borrowed.

In the fifteenth century with the invention of movable characters, the ex libris became an illustrated heel made based on the client's personality. The ex libris, in fact, manifested a possessive and vain attitude of the owner towards the book, often bore motti or family coats of arms. At first spread in Germany, it appeared in Italy in the sixteenth century. Initially they spread only in the monasteries or among the noble patrician families who used to mark the books of their libraries, also called ex-bibliotheca. In the eighteenth, the use becomes more common finally in the 1900s spread as a real art.

The techniques and subjects reflect the personal taste of the author: they are often about monochromatic designs to be used as a stamp or incision. Among the most common themes we find books and animals in particular the owl; Often in addition to the author's name we also find mottos. Sometimes they are based on words of words related to the name and/or the author's surname, sometimes they are linked to his passions or profession.

The ex libris represents a unique symbol that allows the author to be distinguished and a necessary condition for all book lovers.