Young Artist Brings Dying Art of Book Fore-Edge Painting into the Limelight
Maisie Matilda, a 24-year-old artist from the UK, is being credited for shining a bright spotlight on the fascinating but dying art of book fore-edge painting. Matilda had been painting for a long time, but she only started experimenting with fore-edge painting during the first COVID-19 lockdown, when she found herself with lots of time […]
Killer Reading – The Hunt for the Potentially Deadly Arsenic-Infused Books of the 19th Century
Book conservationists have launched an effort to locate thousands of 19th-century books containing ’emerald green’, a rare and coveted pigment created with the help of arsenic. Before the industrial revolution, books were leather-bound artisanal creations that took a lot of time and effort to produce, but the invention of bookcloth changed everything. It was both […]
Pastor Burns ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Twilight Books’ to Fight Demonic Influences
During a live-streamed event last week, a controversial Tennessee pastor burned tens of fantasy books, including Harry Potter and Twilight, in an alleged attempt to fight “demonic influences”. Pastor Greg Locke of the Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, near Nashville, began his sermon last Wednesday by telling his congregation that he had received […]
Shadows From the Walls of Death – A Book That Can Literally Kill You
When people speak of potentially-deadly books, they usually refer to the radical or controversial ideas they contain, but in the case of one very scary book, the potential for lethalness is quite literal. Shadows from the Walls of Death: Facts and Inferences Prefacing a Book of Specimens of Arsenical Wall Papers is a book published […]
Steamy Novel About Falling in Love With Coronavirus in Human Form Goes Viral
‘Kissing the Coronavirus’ is a steamy 16-page e-book that’s as wacky and funny as it is disturbing. It’s basically about a female doctor who ends up falling in love with the Coronavirus after a vaccine trial gone wrong. The 16-page e-book, which launched on Amazon on April 22, tells the story of Dr. Alexa Ashingtonford, […]
Author of Book on Mushrooms Lets Mushrooms Eat His Book, Then Eats Mushrooms
When it comes to promoting a book on mushrooms, I think it’s safe to say that no one will top biologist Merlin Sheldrake’s marketing campaign anytime soon. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Future is an intriguing book on the fascinating life of various fungi, written by biologist Merlin […]
This Book About the History of Ferrari Costs More Than a Car
$30,000 may not buy you a new Ferrari, but it’s enough to cover the cost of this limited edition book on the history of the iconic sports car brand. Before you freak out about the price, you should know that it includes a beautifully sculptured steel and chrome book stand, as well as an aluminum […]
Library of Abandoned Books – Garbage Collectors in Turkey Open Library with Books Destined for the Landfills
An incredible new library has opened in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey featuring a collection of salvaged books once destined for landfill. Local sanitation workers, who spent months collecting abandoned and discarded books from the streets, established the library to be used by themselves and their families. As the collection grew, however, word spread […]
The Literary Man – A Library-Style Hotel with a Collection of Over 50,000 Books
If you ever decide to visit the medieval village of Obidos, in Portugal, you needn’t bother bringing a book to pass the time. Just book a stay at The Literary Man hotel and you can choose from its collection of over 50,000 books. Established in 2015, The Literary Man has already become famous as the […]
Afghan Teacher Turns His Bicycle into a Mobile Library to Give Isolated Children a Chance to Read
In a nation ravaged by war, where children have little to no access to quality literature, a school teacher is trying his best to make a difference. Saber Hosseini, who teaches children in the city of Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, has converted his bicycle into a mobile library which he rides to remote villages. “I came […]
This Japanese Bookstore Only Stocks One Book at a Time
Japanese bookseller Yoshiyuki Morioka has come up with a highly unusual concept for a bookstore – he sells one book at a time in a tiny shop located in Ginza, Tokyo’s luxury shopping district. Ever since he launched the store in May, he has stocked multiple copies of only one title per week. You might argue […]
French Homeless Man Becomes Bestselling Author after Writing Book on Being Homeless
After being homeless for nearly three decades, Jean-Marie Roughol’s life is about to change for the better. The 47-year-old’s memoirs about begging on the streets of Paris has become a national bestseller this holiday season, selling nearly 50,000 copies and earning him cult status. The 176-page book, titled Je tape la manche: Une vie dans la […]
Staffless Pay-What-You-Will Bookstore in China Actually Works
A peculiar outdoor bookstore recently opened in Nanjing, China. There is no cashier desk and no working staff to keep an eye on the books. Instead, visitors are invited to peruse the reading material on offer and pay whatever they want for books by dropping the money in a lock-box. Organizers say the aptly named Honesty […]
Atheist Making over $100,000 a Year Selling Bibles Says He Feels Bad about It but Money Is Too Good to Stop
Lots of people sell products they don’t believe in, but in Trevor McKendrick’s case, you just can’t ignore the irony. That’s because Trevor is an atheist who sells Bibles for a living – and something just doesn’t feel right about that, even to him! Interestingly, Trevor did not consciously choose his profession – it sort […]
Artists Create Book Cover That Refuses to Open for Judgmental Readers
While the age-old idiom tells us not to judge a book by its cover, this high-tech book-cover is designed to do the judging instead. Created by a group of artists at Amsterdam creative studio Moore, the book-sleeve has the ability to scan faces for prejudice. If it detects even the slightest hint of judgement, the […]