Books as Art

I found this on a book-related blog and it really moved me. An individual has created an art installation around giving away her book collection.

Shelf Portrait

Books have always played an important role in my life. I was one of those lucky children who got read to. One of my aunts would give me a book or bookstore gift certificate every year for my birthday. I can remember spending hours in the local bookstore trying to decide how to spend my gift certificate. Books were special treats for me. My grandfather installed some bookshelves in one of my closets in my room growing up. I would go into my closet and lose all track of time while organizing and reorganizing my books. (I was a geeky kid...still am)

I recently read the THIRTEENTH TALE (great book, by the way) and I really loved how the main character talks about getting so engrossed in a book as a child that she fell off the wall she was sitting on while reading. I read like that sometimes. I lose myself in a book and it can be like coming out of a vivid dream when I put the book down.

Over the past few years, I have started collecting signed first-editions. I always buy books in hardcover. I just love the feel of a hardcover book. If it isn't something that I want for my collection, I'll get it from the library. I haven't counted my books lately but I think I have somewhere in the region of 1000. We are working on developing a library/study in our new home and a lot of my books are still in boxes. I have a loose organization system. They are arranged by genre and then alphabetized within genre. I like to be able to find something quickly when I'm looking for it.

Perhaps one day, I will give my own collection away. I can't think of a more beautiful way to do it than as an art installation. How special. How wonderful. How moving.