Mini Maldon Books

We've been restoring this dolls house for a while, and whilst we can't take part in the annual Christmas Fayre, we'll be turning on the lights in this little bookshop.

Maldon Books

The London Library Christmas Card 2020

The card features a design of a Christmas tree being dressed in the Reading Room by illustrator Tom Gauld.

Buy copies at The London Library

Magneton magnetic bookcase

Marco Rumor

Topiary bookcase

"I wanted to design a sculpture that would draw attention to books, the importance of literacy and outreach, and the book sharing system. The sculpture is a series of linear vine forms that suggest growth and development, a kind of topiary composition that wraps around an existing planted garden space on the trail. Thus, these sculpture forms emerge from the garden space and suggest that reading is another form of growth." Eric Nordgulen

Painted steel, acrylic plastic
45 feet

The Public Collection

Bird library bookshelf

Welcome to the Bird Library, feeding the birdbrains of Virginia. Concerned about bird literacy? So are we. We believe in biodiversity and welcome birds of all colors, shapes, and species … even squirrels.

Bird Library

Bookshelf mask

Features a shelf of classic and contemporary books written by Black authors. All proceeds from the sale of this product will be donated to causes dedicated to improving diversity in publishing and bookselling. Each mask contains two layers: an outer layer of tightly woven, printed polyester, and an inner layer of cotton. The ear loops are a soft, stretchy material to keep your mask snug without hurting your ears. Each mask measures approximately 8" across and 5" tall in the middle, with pleated edges.  

Litographs

Boris Johnson's bookshelf backdrop

In this strange new world of virtual interviews and buffering livestreams, politicians might think that a backdrop of a bookshelf helps them to look credible. But the books on display behind Boris Johnson during his speech at an East Midlands school today suggest the librarian, or perhaps a disgruntled English teacher, had other ideas...

Read more at Tes

Story Station

Studio Una Huang

Bibliophile Ceramic Bookends

 

An essential addition to the bibliophile's library! These charming, colorful bookends feature hand-painted book covers, featuring the timeless novels Pride and Prejudice, Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick, Frankenstein, A Tale of Two Cities, Jane Eyre, and Little Women. The artwork is printed on durable, weighty ceramic bookends with non-skid pads for a winning combination of form and function.

Chronicle Books

Shelves for Life

These shelves are designed to last you a lifetime. The wood will colour, the surfaces will mark and stain and over the years and the furniture will become a part of you. When you die, the shelves can be taken apart and reassembled as a coffin. The brass plate under the bottom shelf, that tells the story about this transformation, is then flipped over and you’re dates inscribed on it.
William Warren

Bookwheel

The RIT bookwheel was a thoroughly modern take on a Renaissance design. Before building it, the students designed a 3-D digital model.
Full story at Atlas Obscura

Tiny replica of New York rare bookseller’s gallery

As an object of desire for book collectors, it would be hard to top this replica of rare book dealer John Fleming’s 57th Street Gallery, where he bought and sold in “baronial splendor” according to the New York Times, from 1952 to 1987. Encased in a leaded glass enclosure, the dollhouse-sized library setting features oak bookshelves full of book models, including six “real” miniature books, as well as a silver tea service, a globe, and other plush furnishings that will make some bibliophiles swoon — one of whom will no doubt bid on it at auction on June 23, when it is estimated to reach $1,500-2,500.
Fine Books magazine

VAC library

A special project that carries the traditional Vietnamese horticulture, aquaculture & animal husbandry, from rural to urban areas... The VAC Library is also geared towards an open library space for children. Children in the area and elsewhere can come here to play together, read books, and learn about this ecological model visually at the building.
Farming Architects

Fake wardrobe bookshelves

Hidden bookcase doors are both an attractive and practical addition to any room space but are particularly effective where included as part of a real or false bookcase.
Faux Books

What Do Famous People’s Bookshelves Reveal?

Bibliophiles do not approach bookshelves lightly. A stranger’s collection is to us a window to their soul. We peruse with judgment, sometimes admiration and occasionally repulsion (Ayn Rand?!). With celebrities now frequently speaking on television in front of their home libraries, a voyeuristic pleasure presents itself: Are they actually really like us?
New York Times

Bookcase Credibility

 Bookcase Credibility

Adam Parsons. There are positives, like the shelf of well-worn Penguin classics that have probably stuck with Adam since his English degree, but a bookcase wallpaper credibility grab must overpower to succeed and this sadly doesn't have the horses. Gaps tell. Books look stranded. pic.twitter.com/8WtG4BqHKK

— Bookcase Credibility (@BCredibility) April 28, 2020

Bookshelves videocall background

Hat tip to Marlies Tiepel.

T.S. Eliot inspired sink splash back

Custom design for The Poetry Pharmacy, Bishop's Castle, Shropshire. Hand painted porcelain.
Pretender to the Throne

Eric Clapton's bookshelf

Coronavirus STAY AT HOME bookshelf

Via Maks Viktor Antiquarian Books - artist: Mr. Phil Shaw

Please support your local independent bookseller

It's always important to buy your books from your local bookshop, but it's even more so at the moment. Even if you can't visit the physical premises, many (if not all) will take orders online and get the books sent out to you, like mine in St Albans, Books on the Hill, pictured above. There's a good article on the BBC website about 'How bookshops are helping with isolation'.

#showusyourshelves

Trending now on Twitter (and quite right too)

Make your own Ideal Bookshelf

Make your own Ideal Bookshelf, just like Jane does! Draw in the spines of the books you love most, the ones that changed your life and helped make you who you are today. We know, it's not easy to pick just ten! This is a perfect family project, especially when you're stuck at home and need some good edutainment! Also, many teachers have turned it into a very successful classroom project.
More details and downloads at Ideal Bookshelf

Miniature revolving wooden Shakespeare book case

Our smallest book is probably the ‘Ellen Terry’ Shakespeare, edited by J. Talfourd Blair and published by David Bryce and Son in Glasgow in 1904. It measures 50 mm by 35 mm. The Scottish publisher Bryce specialised in small text editions and produced a diminutive Bible and Koran. The 39 volumes are shelved on a purpose built revolving wooden book case. Ms A. H. Taylor donated nineteen volumes and the book case in 1957; in 2002 the set was completed by an anonymous donor.

The edition is dedicated to the actress Ellen Terry, a renowned Shakespeare actor and one of the most famous actresses of her time. In 1904 she went on a provincial tour appearing in Shakespeare plays and the publication of this miniature set might have been intended to coincide with her tour.
Some of the volumes are in a very fine condition, whilst others show signs of wear and tear. Perhaps they were handled, possibly by a child, and this set is the perfect accessory for a library in a dollhouse.

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

18th Century commode in the form of a book

Whether they were originally made as a whimsical statement or in fact as a utilitarian portable convenience, there's no denying that a "book" toilet is a facility lacking in the homes of most modern book collectors. This situation can be relieved by the addition of this fine example, no doubt Continental in origin (they were all the rage in France). This example is constructed of wood and features hand-forged iron hinges, clasps, latches and nails. In its "resting" configuration, it appears to be a folio-sized book (19.75 x 14.75, 501 x 375 mm.) with lavishly decorated leather covered boards and a red morocco spine label bearing the appropriate title "Historia Universalis". But with some unclasping and skillful assembly of the component parts, there suddenly appears a 20 x 18 x 14.5 inch stool with the necessary hole. The stool would have concealed the more traditional bowl. This example remains in functional condition with some wear to the exterior leather covering and thankfully little or no sign of wear to the interior. 
Heritage Auctions

Win 1 of 20 copies of How To Give Your Child A Lifelong Love Of Reading

Win 1 of 20 copies of How To Give Your Child A Lifelong Love Of Reading by Alex Johnson, published by @britishlibrary and including comprehensive book lists provided by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education @clpe1

Enter now https://t.co/RVC5h79atb pic.twitter.com/maPbHv9Nbr

— World Book Day UK 📚 (@WorldBookDayUK) March 3, 2020

Alpacka bookcase

Innovative freestanding book storage. Comes with a set of different colour braid that loops bridges between the planks for additional storage.
Mike Hale

The Drover's Wives by Ryan O'Neill

The literary world can be rather po-faced sometimes, so it's always a pleasure to come across an inventive book which offers the dual delights of intelligent writing and funny jokes. Here, Ryan O'Neill riffs on the short story The Drover's Wife by Australian writer and bush poet Henry Lawson, retelling in 101 different formats the efforts of a mother trying to protect her children from a snake in the outback. From the contents pages to the note on type at the back via a Freudian interpretation, an Amazon-style book review, and a 1980s computer game (particularly clever this, especially if you ever played The Hobbit way back when), O'Neill is a dab hand at manipulating the text - the back cover even tells the story in paint swatches. Indeed, he has a track record of playing with the concept of literary greatness in his earlier Their Brilliant Careers and those who enjoyed that book will certainly enjoy this one too. So will readers who took to the similar approach of Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style or who simply like the kind of literary wordplay of books like Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. I read it in one go in a pause between sessions of Ducks, Newburyport, and found it a much-needed pick-me-up. Highly recommended and available direct from its publishers Eye Books as well as all the usual places.

Wisdom Tree bookcase

Readers love to read several books simultaneously. Wisdom Tree is a solution to keep your books neat and tidy. With the quick access design, you could quickly access to the page you left off.

Birch plywood, USB 2A powered warm LED light, 200mm x 420mm x 190mm
Bookniture

Band Rail bookcase

Band-Rail ripples effortlessly through space while holding considerable book weight. Storage space is integrated to the staircase and generates an elegant and vibrant environment. Made of wooden ‘gills’ and supported by a minimal steel beam the handrail is mechanically fastened and brought to site in a few pre-assembled pieces that fit inside a standard car.
VG Studio

Globetrekker bookcase

Harking back to the romantic era of long, luxurious voyages by sea, the Globetrekker range is inspired by an original trunk from 1914 that Timothy Oulton discovered at an antiques market. Intrigued by the intricate detailing and beautiful brass plate of the trunk, Tim deconstructed the antique, redesigning it to encompass a full collection of lamp tables, chests, coffee tables, and bookcases, evolving with a range of different innovative finishes. Globetrekker has a distressed aluminium finish inspired by military aircraft, transporting the original Globetrekker into the dynamic, modern world of travel.
Timothy Oulton

Rubook bookcase

This bookcase is inspired by the legendary Rubik’s cube! Freely inspired by such an iconic object, we created its perfect transposition into a piece of furniture: a unique and revolutionary bookcase. A solid, fun and adaptable bookcase that perfectly suits spaces with a strong personality, creating an absolute design corner. We imagined two completely rotatable horizontal surfaces (the base clearly remains still) which give the bookcase many customization options and modularity in use. The future calls to the movement: you cannot stand still! It’s time to move your home!
Invasionecreativa

The rise of the booknook

The concept became popular on Reddit, with the r/booknooks subreddit going from zero to 7,900 members in just two days. The website defines book nooks as "mini worlds created within your bookshelf", usually as a diorama of an alley. The idea seems to have originated in 2018 from a Japanese artist called Monde. They created a "back alley bookshelf" made to fit alongside paperback books. The tweet has been liked 179k times since.
BBC (pictured, Alby Martin's booknook)

Superhero bookshelf

A special bookshelf that gives a 'floating-on-air' feeling. The superhero character seems to easily stop the books from falling down to the ground.
Artori Design

Lego bookshop

Recreate the charm of a backstreet bookshop that you might discover in any quaint village or town with this LEGO® Creator Expert collectors’ toy. The 3-storey bookshop and adjoining modular town house building is filled with fun building techniques and surprising details, including a display window, reading nook and an open-out design.
Lego