Monday 30 April 2018

Friday 27 April 2018

Book Towns in The Guardian

Book towns started with Hay-on-Wye; now there are communities around the world that celebrate the written word. In this extract from a new book, the author picks 10 to leaf through – and visit.
Read the whole thing at The Guardian.

Thursday 26 April 2018

Beauty and the Beast Lego Library

Beauty and the Beast Lego Library
The library from the 1991 Disney Classic Beauty and the Beast, imagined in Lego. Click the image for full slideshow.
By Sarah von Innerebner

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Book Towns interview in Forbes


There's an interview by Lois Alter Mark with me today in Forbes talking about the Book Town book. The whole thing is here but here's a snippet:
For readers, there’s nothing better than discovering a bookstore on vacation. Now imagine discovering an entire book town. Yes, book towns are a thing. They are, like they sound, towns filled with bookstores and book lovers and book-related activities. There are more of these than you think there are, and Alex Johnson celebrates them in Book Towns: Forty Five Paradises of the Printed Word. The book is a bibliophile’s dream. Johnson takes readers on an illustrated tour of the world’s most dedicated havens of literature, revealing their history, celebrating authors and booksellers and offering travel tips. In honor of World Book Day, I talked to Johnson about book towns and his own book. You may want to start booking a trip.

Thursday 19 April 2018

Remembering My Parents’ Bookshelf

"All at once, I’m looking at my parents’ bookcase, circa 1965. I can picture the spine of that book through the glass door, encased in a green paper cover. Sadly, I can’t picture the books on either side of it. Pretty much all of them dated from the same era, when hard-drinking men like John Huston were making movies. I wish I’d taken a picture of those book shelves, but who would think of doing that?  They spoke to me of my parents’ lives, their education, and the era which formed them."
The Millions

Monday 16 April 2018

Sneglen Snail bookshelf

Sneglen "The Snail" is a spare time project, that evolved from the basic goal of creating a shelf, - to an exploration of shape, abstract recognition, structural feasibility and usability.
Morten Grønning Nielsen

Thursday 5 April 2018

Book Towns book published today in the UK

Book towns are a reader’s ultimate getaway destination. From Hay-on-Wye in Wales to Urueña in Spain, Fjaerland in Norway to Jimbochu in Japan, around 40 semi-official book towns now exist around the world. But until now, there has been no complete directory of their location, history and charm. Book Towns takes readers on a richly illustrated tour of these captivating, dedicated havens of literature, outlining the origins and development of each community, and offering practical travel advice. Explore bustling book markets in Kolkata and Buenos Aires, and pop-up shops in old churches, ferry waiting rooms and stables. A stylish and original guide, it is the perfect gift for both book lovers and travel enthusiasts.
Already published in the USA, published today in the UK.

Pier bookcase

Pier, getting its proportions from Mondrian’s Neoplasticism, gets its name as well from his famous composition “Pier and Ocean”. The sense of fineness and lightness is Pier’s trademark.
105cm x 28cm x 194cm
Designer: Başak Bakkaloğlu
Abra Design Studio

Wednesday 4 April 2018

Library chair for children


The project started with the thought, “Can a piece of furniture become a library?” In this project, the chair transforms into a bookcase and a library. The moment the user sits on the chair as they store the book that they were currently reading or sit on the pile of books, the surrounding is no longer a bedroom or a living room but transforms into a library. 
Yang Si Young