Ex Libris

The library’s vast bookplate collection: a glimpse into the literary past.

Charlie Chaplin, Paul Revere and Jack London share a common Dartmouth connection—their bookplates reside among the thousands housed in Rauner Library. The collection started when Josiah Minot Fowler, class of 1900, donated his private bounty of bookplates—including one of only two known copies of Revere’s decorative label—in 1928. During the ensuing decades other alumni made similar donations, and the collection now numbers 27,000. Although interest in private bookplate collecting declined in the late 1940s, bookplates remain an essential mark of ownership and recognition in academic libraries. Even today the College commissions new bookplates to recognize donors of books.

To view a larger version of the bookmarks shown above, click here.

Portfolio

Book cover Original Sin with photo of hands over face
Alumni Books
New titles from Dartmouth writers (July/August 2025)
Woman posing with art sculpture
Inspiration in the Adirondacks
Artist Catherine Ross Haskins ’94 transforms an old grain mill into a vibrant arts hub.
Comeback Story

Alumni first returned to campus for official reunions in 1855.

Illustration of woman in movie theater eating popcorn
Katie Silberman ’09
A screenwriter on storytelling in Hollywood

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