Bidspirit auction | Fausto Moreira Rato

Fausto Moreira Rato - Manual de Ex-librística, 1ª Edição - Fausto Moreira Rato, 1944. Published in 1944 in Porto, by Editorial Civilização. This is the first edition of this monumental and extraordinary reference work for bookplate design and book art in Portugal, entitled ”Manual de Ex-librística: Subsídios para a história e arte dos ex-libris” (Bookplate Manual: Contributions to the history and art of bookplates), authored by the distinguished and renowned specialist J. Pinto de Oliveira. A work of great scope and unusual oblong format (23 x 34 cm), with 238, [vi] pages, printed on high-quality, thick paper. The edition constitutes an exhaustive study of the historical evolution of national and international bookplates, and is profusely illustrated in the text and in extra-text with reproductions of high-quality drawings and engravings (including heraldic landmarks and marks of famous bibliophiles such as Salema Garção). Of particular note is the presence of a magnificent and extremely rare large-format reproduction printed in a fold-out extra-text. This is a highly coveted numbered special collector's edition.