What I Do With Discarded Books

Reuse Covers

"Kidnapped"
Small Coptic Travel Journal

Initially, when I began dabbling in bookbinding, I didn't have a lot of money to spend on expensive book board.  So, I looked for discarded plain hardcover books at my recycling center and library with which I could experiment.

I soon found that older hardcover books often have such interesting covers - covers that inspire me or make me giggle in the context of journaling.  I use these covers for unique journals, sketchbooks, and guestbooks.

Once in a while I also come across interesting softcover books whose covers might make amusing postcards.  I bring these home and lop off the old covers, round the corners and add them to my growing pile of postcards.

Poetry and Collage

The message on a postcard for a friend.
The front had hand drawn flowers.

Within some books I find delicious phrases, elegant words, and clever images to cut or tear out and save for collage.  I paste these sentence fragments onto postcards, into handmade cards, and onto journal covers.  Somehow these snippets say deep things so much better than my own pen and heart could invent.

Landscapes

A text block landscape.

More recently, I visited a gallery showing book art.  A couple of the pieces used text block as sculptural pieces.  It got me thinking... so, I've started experimenting with landscapes.  I  At the moment, I've got dozens of old discarded books in piles and on shelves that I've been gathering just waiting to be given new life.  Covers will become journals, text blocks will be scoured for clever phrases or torn artfully into landscapes.