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Repurposing old books (or just reading them)

It’s not an easy time to be a book. Prey to the depredations of digital books that offer convenience and (theoretical) low cost, the traditional paper-and-ink book is beleaguered and battling cultural irrelevance. So what happens to unwanted physical books if and when they are replaced by digital copies?

A recent … ahem … book suggests ways of repurposing old volumes as decoration for living spaces. From an article in the Sidney Morning Herald:

A recent publication by the American artist Lisa Occhipinti, The Repurposed Library, shows how to transform unwanted books into a range of quirky objects. There are clocks, sewing boxes and chandeliers or, for the ultimate ironic literary statement, a hardback cover for your e-reader.

Occhipinti believes old books impart a sense of tranquillity to their surroundings.

”We live in this digital age and life is so fast-paced but there’s a silence and stillness about books,” she says.

Not only are books visually attractive, their stories convey a certain mystery, even if they can no longer be read in full, she says. The appeal comes down to a deep-seated nostalgia. ”There’s something very special about them and it may be that books may not exist some day,” Occhipinti says. ”There’s this forebodingness about them, so all of a sudden they become even more precious.”

The article also points out that crafty ideas for unwanted books have long been found in the online sphere:

The cyber world is awash with bookish objects made from orphaned volumes. Stripped, painted, bolted or glued, old books are being turned into jewellery, sculpture and furniture. From an old atlas refashioned into a chic lampshade to a Jane Austen hardcover stitched into a handbag, the projects display an astonishing ingenuity. Some designers, including Californian Jim Rosenau, treat books as lumber to create tables, chairs and even bookshelves.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to get people’s noses back into books (presumably before they are turned into lampshades), the Milwaukee Public Library has developed a campaign that plays on a number of familiar digital emblems.