The bookplate of William Penn, Quaker leader and founder of the American state of Pennsylvania, from a French edition of the Imitatio Christi (1649).

Despite appearances, this bookplate does not date from 1703. While this book is known to have been owned by the Penn family, bearing the signature of Granville Penn, William's grandson, it is unclear whether it was in fact William Penn's own copy. The bookplate is subtly different from the scarce original William Penn 1703 bookplate. It is not a restrike from the original copper-plate but is a well-executed copy (of which numerous examples exist), engraved (most likely in the second half of the 19th century) on a quite different copper-plate, then deceptively printed on 18th century laid paper. It is pasted on the reverse of the title page, where William typically placed his bookplates. Whether its presence indicates an attempt at fraud, perhaps to increase the value of the book when the Penn family's library was sold, or is simply evidence that the family reprinted the plate at a later date, adding it to books in the family collections (which may or may not have been handed down from William), is a matter for speculation. For more discussion of the two Penn bookplates, see the Bookplate Society's 2014 newsletter article.

Gift of George Udny Yule.