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                                                                     EXHIBIT 5.1


                   [Letterhead of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett]




                                               April 25, 1997



Bowne & Co., Inc.
345 Hudson Street
New York, New York  10014

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         We have acted as your counsel in connection with the Registration
Statement on Form S-3 (the "Registration Statement") of Bowne & Co., Inc., a New
York corporation (the "Company"), which the Company intends to file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the "Act"), relating to, among other things, 30,000 shares of the Company's
common stock, par value of $.01 per share (the "Shares"), issued or to be
issued pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of March 7, 1997 among 
the Company, Peter Jay Stafford and Rosamaria Caballero Stafford.

         We have examined a copy of the Registration Statement (including the
exhibits thereto) and originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to
our satisfaction, of such corporate records, documents or other instruments of
the Company and have made such other and further investigations as we deemed
necessary to enable us to express the opinions hereinafter set forth.

         In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures,
the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents
submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all
documents submitted to us as photostatic copies, and the authenticity of the
originals of such letter documents.

         Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and
limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly
authorized by the Company and are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         We are members of the Bar of the State of New York, and we do not
express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the law of the State of
New York and the federal law of the United States of America.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement.


                                    Very truly yours,

                                    SIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETT
