You are here: Home > Resources > Ask John! > Book Features > What is this mysterious bookplate in my first edition of "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht?

Dear John: Hello John! Many thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I recently came across a first edition of “The Front Page” by Ben Hecht & Charles McArthur at a thrift store for a few bucks —- lucky me! No dust jacket, but it’s in fairly good condition, so of some modest value. What intrigues me is a bookplate on the front free end page. It’s not completely glued down, only at the top. 7”H x 4.5”W No name or “ex libris”. Just this terrific image: I’m guessing that these are meant to be the letters “P” and “R” spelled out in the rattlesnake’s loops. Or perhaps meant to be a “B”? I’m charmed by the little head with glasses! I’d love to discover that this copy belonged to someone of note, of course, but I have no idea of where to go from here. If you can point me into a direction to explore, I’d appreciate it. An intriguing mystery! Best, Mary M. John Replies: Hi Mary. Intriguing. My guess is that it is a custom bookplate made for a collector. It is doubtful that it is of any intrinsic value. Best, John Ask John at: [email protected] Read articles about book collecting Read John's answers to book collecting questions Receive our Book Collecting PDFs and newsletters Sign up for our Book Club Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Watch our Videos