Books as Objects
April 2, 2008
Judging Books by Their Covers 1
by C. Max Magee
I’m seriously digging these new cover designs for the British editions of John O’Hara classics BUtterfield 8 and Appointment in Samarra. They were done by illustrator Tomer Tanuka, and he shares his inspirations for the covers at his blog Tropical Toxic (where you’ll also find posts from his twin brother Asaf, who is also an [...]
February 24, 2008
Books as Objects 0
by Noah Deutsch
The cover of this past week’s New Yorker, “Shelf of Life” by Adrian Tomine, could be a visual entry in our “Books as Objects” column. An avid reader of the magazine (NOT our fearless editor and self-professed NYer junkie, Max) examined the cover art and observed that it carried a “cynical” message. It’s a panel [...]
August 26, 2007
Books You Can’t Read: A List of Bookish Objets 0
by Emily Colette Wilkinson
British artist Su Blackwell’s wonderful book-cut sculptures Discharged books from the Stanford library find new life as a bar Part Joseph Cornell box, part book about Joseph Cornell boxes (for more info) A selection of works by Georgia Russell, Cara Borer, and other artists whose medium is books German designer Werner Aisslinger’s storage modules, made [...]
June 9, 2007
Books as Objects: Arty Goodness 0
by C. Max Magee
Artist Nina Katchadourian, in a take off on the sometimes serendipitous placement of books on bookshelves, has created micro-stories told only in the words on the spines of books. At the site of UK bookstore Any Amount of Books (which also runs the blog Bookride), one can view “The Incredible Bookman,” a bookshelf that takes [...]
May 9, 2007
Books as Objects: Limited Editions 2
by C. Max Magee
Skimming through the bestsellers and new releases at Amazon, you may have spotted the “limited edition” of Michael Chabon’s new novel The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. “This special limited first edition is personally signed by the author and numbered. The jacketed hardcover is packaged in a handcrafted wooden slipcase which is shrinkwrapped. A must-have for collectors,” [...]
September 14, 2006
Books as Objects: Drug Mules 1
by C. Max Magee
I happened upon this story about a scheme to smuggle drugs into a Michigan prison using library books. From the Muskegon Chronicle: Inmates at the prison in eastern Montcalm County communicated with somebody on the outside, providing titles to check out from the Madison Square branch library on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. The [...]