10 Incredibly Bizarre Works of Book Art

With e-books on the rise, physical books are finding new purpose as part of extreme book art. While their destruction is arguably well-considered, the transformation of the books into sculptures and other forms of art may well justify their metamorphosis. Bizarre, original, and in-yer-face, these examples of extreme book art are hard to ignore. More »

Piracy is yesterday's worry for today's "artisan authors"

File sharing and self-publishing are becoming the norm for a generation of writers looking beyond a moribund publishing eco-system. More »

100 Book Covers To Fight Illiteracy

100 ARTISTS, 100 POSTERS — 100 CLASSIC NOVELS RE-COVERED.

That's the tag line that Belgian graphic design studio beshart uses to unite 100 artists from 28 countries, in this project to re-design the covers for the 100 greatest novels of all time, as decided by The Observer in 2003. The project's mission was to raise awareness for the problem of illiteracy.

International Literacy Day was September 8, 2012, the same day that this project's collection launched at Antwerp City Hall. There is also an online gallery. »

aMAZEme: a labyrinth of 250,000 books

People explore a labyrinth of 250,000 books, entitled aMAZEme, at The Clore Ballroom in the Royal Festival Hall in London. Visitors can navigate the maze, constructed from 250,000 remaindered, second-hand and new books. 150,000 of these books have been loaned by Oxfam. More »

Picture: Tony Kyriacou / Rex Features

2012: Books Read

1. The Great Operas: Lohengrin (Wagner), J. Cuthbert Hadden. ISBN NA (T.C. & E.C. Jack, London, 1911?; Frederick A. Stokes Co., New York). 2012.01.02
2. Running Wild, J.G. Ballard. ISBN 0-374-25288-2. 2012.01.02
3. Urban Agriculture, David Tracey. ISBN 978-0-86571-694-0. 2012.01.11
4. The Hobbit, Or There And Back Again, J.R.R. Tolkien. ISBN 0-04-823147-9. 2012.01.18
5. J.R.R. Tolkien, Alexandra Wallner, Ill. John Wallner. ISBN 978-0-8234-1951-7. 2012.01.18

6. Like Water For Chocolate, Laura Esquivel. ISBN 0-385-42017-X. 2012.02.02
7. It's Lonely In The Modern World, Molly Jane Quinn, Ill. Jenna Talbot. ISBN 978-0-8118-7928-6. 2012.02.02
8. Fatherland, Robert Harris. ISBN 0-09-926381-5. 2012.02.25
9. Know It All: Literature, Sean Francis. ISBN 1-85435-875-8. 2012.03.03
10. Heart Of The Comet, Gregory Benford & David Brin. ISBN 0-553-05125-3. 2012.03.21

11. The Ageless Soul: Golden Paths To Wisdom, Ed. Lois L. Kaufman. ISBN 0-88088-250-6. 2012.03.24
12. Good Karma: Summoning Positive Vibes, Armand Eisen. ISBN 0-7407-3876-3. 2012.03.24
13. Journeys To The Twilight Zone, Ed. Carol Serling. ISBN 0-88677-525-6. 2012.04.19
14. Way of Life: Awareness, Reflections, Interdependence, Compassion, Gratitude, Toronto Buddhist Church. ISBN N/A. 2012.04.21
15. Explorer: The Mystery Boxes, Ed. Kazu Kibuishi. ISBN 978-1-4197-0009-5. 2012.04.24

16. The Secret World of Arrietty, Vol. 1 (Film Comic), Dir. Hiromasa Yonebayashi. ISBN 978-1-4215-4116-7. 2012.04.27
17. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson. ISBN N/A (1962, Airmont Publishing Co., Inc. (first published 1759). 1973 edition). 2012.05.20
18. 100 Dream Houses: Contemporary Designs for Modern Living, Cathy Strongman. ISBN 978-1-8589-4469-2. 2012.05.24
19. Soil, David M. Barker. ISBN 978-1-61080-207-9. 2012.05.26
20. Kiki's Delivery Service, Volume 1 of 4, Hayao Miyazaki. ISBN 978-1-59116-724-2. 2012.05.30

21. Spirited Away (BFI Modern Classics / BFI Film Classics), Andrew Osmond. ISBN 978-1-84457-230-4. 2012.06.11
22. Chinese Ghost Stories: Curious Tales of the Supernatural, Lafcadio Hearn. ISBN 978-0-8048-4137-5. 2012.06.22
23. Babymouse: Our Hero, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. ISBN 978-0-375-83230-7. 2012.07.04
24. Babymouse: Puppy Love, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. ISBN 978-0-375-83990-0. 2012.07.04
25. Babymouse: The Musical, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. ISBN 978-0-375-84388-4. 2012.07.05

26. Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. ISBN 978-0-375-86573-2. 2012.07.05
27. Making Space: Creating a Home Meditation Practice, Thich Nhat Hanh. ISBN 978-1-937006-00-6. 2012.07.25
28. Twice A Spy, Keith Thomson. ISBN 978-0-307-47315-8. 2012.08.05
29. Universe 10, Ed. Terry Carr. ISBN N/A (1980, Doubleday & Company, Inc.). 2012.09.21
30. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Adapted by Jane Carruth, Ill. Rene Cloke. ISBN N/A (1990, Derrydale Books). 2012.10.01

31. Babymouse: Dragonslayer, Jennifer L. Holm, Ill. Matthew Holm. ISBN 978-0-375-85712-6 (2009, Random House, Inc., New York). 2012.10.19
32. The 1978 Annual World's Best SF, Edited by Donald A. Wollheim with Arthur W. Saha. ISBN N/A (1978, DAW Books, Inc.). 2012.11.14
33. W³: Women In Deep Time, Greg Bear. ISBN 0-7434-5831-1 (2003, ibooks, inc.). 2012.11.18. Includes "Sisters", "Hardfought", "Scattershot".
34. Encyclopedia Brown And The Case Of The Soccer Scheme, Donald J. Sobol, Ill. James Bernardin. ISBN 978-0-525-42582-3 (2012, Penguin Group). 2012.12.06
35. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King. ISBN 0684853523 (2000, Scribner). 2012.12.20

36. Brooklyn Makers: Food, Design, Craft, and Other Scenes from a Tactile Life, Jennifer Causey. ISBN 978-1-61689-074-2 (2013, Princeton Architectural Press). 2012.12.29
37. The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy And Other Stories, Tim Burton. ISBN 0-06-052649-1 (1997, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.). 2012.12.30

Bastion of Knowledge: The Antonio Castro Leal Library

In central Mexico City, La Ciudadela is a stone fortress dominating seven acres of land. Within is a tiny library, newly renovated to house the private collection of the Mexican intellectual and diplomat, Antonio Castro Leal, who died in 1981.

This building started as a tobacco-processing plant in the late 1700s. The 1800s saw the structure become a military post, an arsenal, a hospice, and a weapons manufactory. In 1885 the city garrison moved in, and the building became La Ciudadela, or The Citadel.

The transformation into cultural centre began in the 1940s, but by 2010, the building had fallen into disrepair. It was time to create a master plan so that the Ciudadela could evolve into a center of culture and education. More »

December 2012

BOOKS ACQUIRED

1. The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy And Other Stories, Tim Burton. ISBN 0-06-052649-1 (1997, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.). 2012.12.17
2. Roverandom, J.R.R. Tolkien. ISBN 0-395-89871-4 (1998, Houghton Mifflin Co.). 2012.12.17
3. Cuisines Of Southeast Asia, Gwenda L. Hyman. ISBN 0-471-58249-2 (1993, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). 2012.12.17
4. Forty Thousand In Gehenna, C.J. Cherryh. ISBN 0-87997-952-6 (1983, DAW Books, Inc.). 2012.12.26
5. Reluctant Voyagers, Elisabeth Vonarburg. ISBN 1-895836-09-3 (1995, Tesseract Books). 2012.12.26
6. The Maerlande Chronicles, Elisabeth Vonarburg. ISBN 0-88878-294-2 (1992, Beach Holme Publishers). 2012.12.26
7. The New Improved Sun, Ed. Thomas Disch. ISBN 0-09-124200-2 (1976, Hutchinson & Co (Publishers) Ltd). 2012.12.26
8. Decade: The 1940s, Ed. Brian W. Aldiss & Harry Harrison. ISBN 0-312-18986-9 (1978, St. Martin"s Press). 2012.12.26

BOOKS READ

1. Encyclopedia Brown And The Case Of The Soccer Scheme, Donald J. Sobol, Ill. James Bernardin. ISBN 978-0-525-42582-3 (2012, Penguin Group). 2012.12.06
2. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King. ISBN 0684853523 (2000, Scribner). 2012.12.20
3. Brooklyn Makers: Food, Design, Craft, and Other Scenes from a Tactile Life, Jennifer Causey. ISBN 978-1-61689-074-2 (2013, Princeton Architectural Press). 2012.12.29
4. The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy And Other Stories, Tim Burton. ISBN 0-06-052649-1 (1997, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.). 2012.12.30