Emily Temple writes: “One of the best things about having an extensive personal library is the ability to lend books to my loved ones. Of course, ‘lend’ is a stretch—they very rarely come back, probably because I have neglected to invest in a set of fancy personalized bookplate with which to identify them. (Or because my loved ones are wanton thieves.) It seems a little indulgent now, but the use of bookplates used to be much more common among serious readers, many of whom were—you guessed it—writers themselves. Below you’ll find a few personalized bookplates used by famous writers, sourced from around the internet; may they inspire you to create your own, or at least to return that book you borrowed from me.”