The Art of the Bookplate.

2003

Special Collections Z993 K446 2003

Barnes & Noble

Fittingly, the bookplate of Dunedin teacher, heraldic artist, and genealogist, James MacIntosh McCready (1923-2012), is pasted into a book about bookplates. Born and raised in Dunedin, McCready’s interest in heraldry started young. In 1976, he arranged a ‘Scottish grant of arms’ for this father, Stanley. The McCready’s bookplate includes the arms, and features a cabbage tree on either side of the shield, the first time the New Zealand native plant appeared in heraldry. The compass at the top of the bookplate aligns with McCready’s war effort and illustrates his motto ‘Hold True’. The crosses on either side of his name signify his membership of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. Not only did McCready design his own bookplate, he did so for many others.