Repurposing books

[Miss Chicken]

This is a topic that has often ended up in heated debate on book sites I visit. Do you think it is OK to destroy a book to use it for decoration, in craftwork etc.

I have used old book pages both to make bookmarks and also in scrapbooking. For example, I am currently using old book pages to decorate a reading journal I am making for next year.

Do any of you repurpose old books, or do you think it is a horrible way to treat books?

 

[CaptainWacky]

It's completely fine! It's not like you're destroying the only copy of the book or anything.

I remember I used to cut up comic books and paste them to VHS tape covers to them. That's not really the same thing though (and I was five.)

 

[Miss Chicken]

An example of one page of my next year reading journal. One of my challenges will be trying to find a book that somehow matches this page - it might be a rereading of ‘This Fish Can Sing’ by Halldor Laxness, unless I can find a book about nervous women.

 

[think]

I have seen a book get reworked into a sculpture of a grave yard I think or maybe it was a library? it was opened to the center then the various parts sculpted via paper mache with sections of the book itself-- the book was about what the sculpture was.-- really nice work it was by a high school student that gave that to their guidance counselor -- my gf -- I think more things like this should happen just out and out book to sculpture transformation, because it would add a creative element to the end of the use of the books being sculpted -

 

[Ashu]

People can do what they want to their books but I Personally wouldn't do it to mine

 

[Kor]

I remember seeing some artist online who would take trashy vintage paperback novels and turn the cover artwork into 3-D scenes by making lots of cuts and folds. It was pretty cool.

Kor

 

[Malicia]

It's completely fine! It's not like you're destroying the only copy of the book or anything.

I remember I used to cut up comic books and paste them to VHS tape covers to them. That's not really the same thing though (and I was five.)

I never thought of doing that but I can see how it would spruce up tapes. I used to cut out pictures of keyboards from catalogues and glue them to a scrap book. I can smell that glossy paper just thinking about it.

 

[Timewalker]

I wouldn't do it to my own books, but I've bought some rather cool art objects people have made. I collect ACEO cards, some of which were created as a collage of bits of books, maps, brochures, etc. and Scrabble tile art is also something I collect. If you want to see some really cool Scrabble tile jewelry, look it up on Etsy. It's amazing how what looks like a boring page from a book or atlas or map can become an interesting piece of jewelry, especially if it's combined with a steampunk theme.

There are instruction books on how to make purses and keepsake boxes out of hardcover books.

 

[Mommy]

Yes yes yes! Repurposing them is a fantastic idea. Why not? I look at my bookshelves littered with books that I can't seem to give away fast enough and have new inspiration for some of these old cookbooks.

Oh my hubby is going to freak .

 

[1001001]

My daughter makes purses from old hardback books.

They're really pretty cool!

 

[1001001]

 

[Mrs. Silvercrest]

I don't do anything with books except read them. Mainly because of a librarian from when I was in grade school. She really had a thing about how to treat books. She had these picture cards about the books crying or frowning if you: Folded pages, laid the book on its spine, wrote in it, or ripped a page. You have to use a book mark! To this day I can't do any of those things!