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How to Choose a Book to Alter

As children we are taught to respect books:
Don't draw in them.
Don't bend the pages.
Don't mar the cover.

Over time we learn that respect can take many forms. As artists we know that anything can make a good canvas.

Tom Phillips' "A Humument" is considered the earliest altered book. He transformed a Victorian novel into a work of found poetry and art by manipulating the words on the page and adding various images; creating another story from within the original text. Since then, artists have altered books into sculptures, political statements and even pieces of furniture.

I like to think of altering books as a form of creative recycling: A way to put a book with outdated information or marked-up pages to another use rather than resigning it to a landfill. Once you get past the initial phobia of actually writing in a book or ripping out pages, creating an altered book can be an incredibly freeing and cathartic experience.

The book becomes your three-dimensional canvas so it is important to choose a solid foundation to work with. Hardback books are infinitely more desirable than paperback, but the qualification process doesn't stop there.

Things You'll Need

  • Hardback books
  • Discerning eye
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Instructions

    • 1

      Judge this book by its cover. If you have a specific idea in mind for your cover, check for embossing or imprints that may get in the way or require a work-around. Look for water damage or separating layers of book board under the cloth or leather that may need to be reinforced before you create your masterpiece. Also make sure the cover is firmly attached to the spine.

    • 2

      Examine the binding. A prime candidate for altering is a book with stitched signatures (as opposed to glued) whose stitches are still strong.

    • 3

      Look for healthy pages. Age on a book is not an automatic disqualifier (often quite the contrary), but you want to make sure the paper has aged well. Coated pages (like those found in old encyclopedias or text books) age very well. Uncoated sheets can become dry and brittle over time and may crumble when painted on or glued.

    • 4

      Sniff carefully. Sometimes a book may appear fine, but the nose knows if the tome has a hidden secret. A musty smell, smoke or animal odors may indicate a book has been mistreated or is otherwise not fit for altering.

    • 5

      Know the cost. First editions and current best-sellers are not always the best choice to use as an altered book because the cost and overall value of the book may be more than you want to sacrifice for your art. Yard, garage and tag sales are great places to find sturdy, inexpensive books to alter. Also check your local library stores that sell older, out-of-date books for a fraction of the cost of new. Many alterers set a price limit for materials no higher than 50 cents, but I have been known to pay up to $5 for a book with a great title that inspires me.

    • 6

      Read a page or two. Inspiration can come from anywhere, including the book itself. While the book's title is an obvious place to start, chapter titles and randomly opened-to pages can also act as your muse. I have actually read an entire book before starting on the alter, but I don't necessarily recommend it--this leads to library building and not art creation!

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