Title labels

“Several alternative schemes for labeling fore-edges were devised by seventeenth century librarians, including the pasting on of paper tabs or labels, attached to either the boards or one of the leaves, carrying shelf numbers or titles.” – David Pearson, English Bookbinding Styles, 1450-1800: A Handbook (London, 2005), p. 107.





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About Stephen Ferguson

Stephen Ferguson is Librarian Emeritus, Princeton University Library. He came to Princeton in 1975 to be Curator of Rare Books, after several years of professional work at the John Carter Brown Library (Brown University) and the National Heritage Museum (Lexington, Mass.). Between 2014 and 2026, he held various posts as an Associate University Librarian at Princeton. He has degrees from Bowdoin (A.B.) and Rutgers (M.L.S.). His scholarly interests include book history, provenance research, and the history of collecting. He has taught at Drew University on the latter topic.