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 Schoffer. 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
References
Printing
History of printing