The first signs of interest in ex-libris from a historical-scientific point of view date from 1835, when Heinrich Lempertz in Germany dedicated a chapter to bookplates in his Bilder-Heften zur Geschichte des deutschen Buchhandels, and two years later, when Daniel Parsons published an article entitled Of Bookplates in the Third Annual Report of the Oxford University Archaeological and Heraldic Society, pp. 17-21. Apart from rare exceptions, such as a mid-18th century German collection whose owner has not been identified and the collections of Adélaide Le Caron de Fleury (constituted c.1780-1793) or Miss Jenkins of Bath (active c.1820) ex-libris collecting did not, however, really start before the 1860s. When it did, the fashion spread like wildfire. Societies of collectors were founded in London and Berlin in 1891, and in many European capitals in the subsequent decade. At first, the prime object of collection was old bookplates, particularly the early rarities, but soon many collectors widened their interest to include contemporary plates and commissioned ex-libris not only for their libraries but also for exchange. There was a lull in interest during the 1930-1950 period, but ex-librism has since been slowly expanding. Today there are over thirty ex-librist societies in the world, which group some 10.000 persons.