Publishing mark

Publishing mark is a trademark of a publishing house or printing house (private or public) specializing that creating books and periodicals.

The first printer's mark is found in the 1457 Mainz Psalter by Johann Fust and Peter Schöffer. The owner of a printing house in Venice chose a dolphin and an anchor as his publishing mark. The sign is based on the ancient paradox "Hurry slowly" (Latin Festina lente). The dolphin was a sign of speed, the anchor — stability. In addition, both symbols were on the image of port Venice, the capital of the Adriatic.

Previously, books had a material value. Protection was the sign of the ruler — a piece of paper with the name and surname of the ruler. The best artists of the day were involved in the creation of bookplates and trademarks. Only a limited number of collectors and bibliophiles knew the history of printing stamps.

Publishing stamps be close to bookplates, but they also have their own specifics. They have a different purpose. In bookplates — coats of arms, initials, images of architectural structures, individual sculptures that have long received the meaning of symbols, allegories and more