21st Century Dodos: guest post by Steve Stack

I was delighted to be asked by Alex to appear on this most aesthetically pleasing of blogs as part of the tour to promote my new book, 21st Century Dodos (and as an ebook). The only problem is, he wants me to write about bookshelves whereas I just want to persuade you to buy my book. Oh well, he’s the boss. If he wants bookshelves, bookshelves he will get. I won’t be so crass as to try to foist 21st Century Dodos upon you. This is not the place for such things and I am too classy for that.

I happen to know that Alex is a bit of a fan of the staircase we have at our house. We live in a Victorian terrace and these stairs lead down to our basement kitchen.

They were designed by my wife and she included a neat trick, as you can see.

Drawers! Oh yes, each step contains a deep drawer that is very handy for storing the kids’ art supplies, dozens of DVDs, random bits of junk…

…or wonderful books about the demise of inanimate objects of yesteryear, to offer a random example.

They really have come in handy over the years, hiding a multitude of sins. They also seem to be very popular with visiting tradesmen (that sounds very Downton Abbey, doesn’t it?), with many plumbers, gas men, electricians and jolly delivery folk commenting on them as they make their way back up in hobnail boots.

I also had a crack at ‘designing’ some bookshelves. I needed something specific for the alcoves in our living room (or is it lounge?) and came up with these.

Shall we take a closer look?

Quite thick and fat, aren’t they? Here’s why.

You see, my wife didn’t want my CDs to be out on display, she thinks they are ugly, but I needed them close at hand so that I could pop on a bit of Dinosaur Jr at short notice. This seemed like the perfect compromise: space for compact discs, hidden away from public view, which can double up as a shelf for copies of this year’s ideal Christmas gift.

Marital harmony ensues. Until we come to discuss the toilet library, but that’s another story entirely.

Bibliochaise luna

nobody&co

Bookworm

aluminium. bookshelf at its minimalistic form. inspired by looking at the function of a bookshelf and create something that portrays floating books. bookshelf comes in two forms allowing the user to create a unique wall decoration.
dripta

Typeshelf

Typeshelf brings typography into product design by using the word as the object. 2D cut out letters on stainless steel are bent along the perforations at the bottom to form the "shelf". The material characteristics of steel provides a sturdy platform for books etc. without requiring additional hardware.
--------------------------------
Size: Outside Ractangle (29 3/4" x 10")
Shelf: (26 3/4" x 6 3/4")
Color: Red, Black, White
Material: Powder coated stainless steel
Max. Load: 15 lbs
ThirtyFive Creative Works

Kitchen bull

Combination knife block, bookshelf, cheese board.
tore legno

Le Hasard

Hasard is a bench, a tablet and two shelves.
It is a whole set or three separate elements.
To be arranged as you wish, or curved around the ’nenuphare’ sofa as its satellite.
It is a space, shapes, colors, rythms eager to show their freedom, it is a storage furniture set.
It is a tower, a folding screen, a coffee table, a bench, a tablet, a desk, shelves, a bookcase.
It is a whole mobile set: a room by itself.
It is an open structure, whose rythms are absolutely free.
Its outline makes it an informal piece of furniture, both open to the other and protecting one’s personal inner space.
It has no side, no bottom, you can see it from any angle, it is a space to be by yourself or to share with people.
smarin

Revolving bookcase

Walnut
Height = 61 cms (24 ins)
Width = 61 cms (24 ins)
Depth = 61 cms (24 ins)
Iain James Furniture

Book Book Shelf

The Book Book Shelf was a self-initiated project that came about having seen a pile of left over books at the end of a jumble sale. So many books are thrown away each year, and although recyclable, the emotional bond that is attached to books seem to make them more appropriate for re-use than recycling. The idea for a shelf made from books seems almost obvious, and the process from concept to completion was more of a refinement of function than of aesthetic intricacies. The shelf gained widespread media attention and was published in several magazines.
not tom

Rubber Shelves

Silicone, Steel
170cm x 94cm 26cm
Rubber provided by Bentley Creative Chemicals 

Luke Hart for The Sculpture House

Libreria Di-Vina

Libreria modulare creata con scatole di vino riciclate
officina41

Snooping in the Age of E-book

I RECENTLY attended a chaotic, kid-friendly gathering at the home of a friend. On my way to the bathroom to seek some solace, I decided to indulge in one of my favorite antisocial activities: scrutinizing someone else’s bookshelf. For a veteran sleuth, a bookshelf can offer a trove of insights worthy of any Freudian’s couch. Does a person alphabetize the books or clump them? Do they arrange their books by genre, order in which they were purchased, or color? Are these books unopened hardcovers or dog-eared paperbacks?
New York Times

Joplin Books: mobile charity bookshelves

Jim Stuart of Olathe  and Gary Forister of Kansas City, North, are two of the members of the Kansas City Woodworkers' Guild building 24 portable "libraries" (front left) at their Kansas City shop Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011. The mobile units, rolling bookshelves designed to open like a book and look like a book, will go to Iverson and Emerson elementary schools in Joplin. Hallmark volunteers will paint the libraries.
The Kansas City Star (and slideshow)

Libreria Centro Large

Designer: Claudio Salocchi
edition20

Edwardian Miniature Revolving Bookcase

A very sweet miniature bookcase, probably made of maple. This bookcase revolves on a long steel pin, and spins with ease. The 40 miniature books are volumes of Shakespeare and are printed in Glasgow by David Bryce & Son, and in London by Henry Frowde, Oxford University Press Warehouse Amen Corner. The item is dated 1904. One of the books is dedicated to Ellen Terry, the actress.
Size: bookcase - 6-1/4 inches x 4 inches books - approx. 2 inches x 1-1/4 inches
Trocadero

Shelf life

For almost a decade I have found myself drawn to the intimate, tactile, and symbolic qualities of used books. I am interested in how these recycled books come with their own histories of use and meaning and how they serve as potent vehicles of expression. With the idea of working with them as my canvas or building block, I transform the books into sculptures that explore and redefine the book as familiar object, medium, and archetypal form.
Jacqueline Rush Lee

Little Free Library

To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations. To build more than 2,510 libraries around the world - more than Andrew Carnegie.
Little Free Library

Bookshelf truck

Pat McNulty

Mobile book carrier

Stands sturdy enough to hold a wealth of books on four open shelves. Rolls easily to next story time on jumbo casters. Preschool furniture made of birch laminate and maple construction. Rounded and smooth corners. 39 lbs. 18-1/2" W x 37" H x 21" D. GreenGuard certified.
Whitney Brothers

Scatter shelf

The scatter shelf is composed of 5mm black acrylic shelves in a grid form, stacked in three layers and slightly displaced. The resulting shelving unit is not only structurally strong but creates a visual effect in which objects placed on the shelves appear as though caught in a spider’s web when viewed from the front. When viewed on an angle, the glossy acrylic face creates a series of reflections within the shelves, making the ‘opaque’ acrylic appear to be transparent. The diffused reflections caused by the surfaces’ shine and form also separates and scatters the view behind the shelving unit, creating a completely kaleidoscopic effect.
Nendo

Liquid shelves

Milled mirror, aerospace grade polished aluminium.
Ross Lovegrove

Waves

Arco da Velha

2B

Walnut or lacquered Ash
X 77.1|Y 16.14|Z 66.1{in}
Mob

Cubist modular

Sculptural industrial box set composes custom geometric gallery in raw sheet metal with iron rods. Six different dimensions architect open airy arrangement or concentrated grid of right angles. Displays objects, nooks books, arresting empty, too. Exposed brass welding adds raw edge. Inset mounts at each corner attach easy to wall, also freestands on tabletop.
CB2

Rise of public bookshelves in Germany

Public bookshelves are sprouting up across Germany. Everyone is welcome to take a book that piques their interest, or leave one they've already read. The amazing thing is, it works.
DW-World
Pictured, public bookcase, behind bus shelter, Rosenplatz, Münster

Bookshelf earrings

Bookshelf earrings for the bibliophile. Cute little drawings of books in a bookcase in silver toned frames make the perfect accessory for any avid reader. Total earring length is 1.25 inches.
A Likely Story

Industrial Age Style Bookshelf

This Industrial Age Style Bookshelf with accent lighting is a great conversation piece that turns heavy iron piping into a modern urban multipurpose fixture that will add a sense of history and lighting to any space. This is a very versatile design that can hold books on the horizontal shelves upright or stacked. Multiple shelves allow many possibilities for storage.Made from Industrial Iron Piping, Light Bulbs included.
Stella Bleu

Veliero

The bookcase consists of two pillars of ash with brass tip ends. 4mm stainless steel tie rods. Anchoring elements of the rods are in burnished iron with the central rods in polished brass. The shelves are made of safety glass 3 +3 mm.. Shelf supports in ash with polished brass ends. Diagonal reinforcing tie rods for the shelves in polished brass. The base is in steel with the covering panels in ash.
Designer: Franco Albini
Cassina

Bookshelf is sunning itself at the beach for a bit. We'll be back soon with more marvellous designs. Those of you interested in the book will be pleased to hear that the designers have now finished putting it all together and when we return we should have some concrete dates for you. As well as the English version, there will also be French, German, Swedish and Italian editions (and maybe more).

Kub+

KUB+ is a project that aims to bring functionality to living rooms with limited space, serving as a ludic and customizable furniture, allowing users to interact with the colored mobile pieces in addition to following the trend of assembling do-it-yourself and taking inspiration from famous toy Rubik's Cube. The project uses no glue and the pieces are put together through wood dowel pins. The material used are sheets of plywood and the finish is made with lacquer ink.
Fabio Teixeira

Italia

ITALIA è la libreria che traduce in materia vitale l’immagine di una Nazione, la nostra:ricca di cultura, storia e grandi potenzialità che tuttavia vive accasciata sul suo antico passato, mentre guarda fuggire grandi menti da sé e lascia ai pochi che restano la difficoltà di trovare una collocazione.
materiali: legno laccato, gomma, ferro arrugginito.
Andrea Vecera

2B

Mob

Basement stacks

Books breaking through the (faux) wall downstairs, referencing the "basement stacks" every library has. In this case it's as if those stacks had been sealed up during some remodel, and are anthropomorphically breaking through, referencing the old library, history, roots, poltergeists... Created for the VIA Advertising Agency, which recently renovated and moved their offices into the old Baxter building, which served as Portland's public library from 1888 until the 1960s.
Warey Myers

Print Books: Should They Stay or Should They Go?

As I packed for the move, I questioned whether it made financial sense to ship my several hundred books across the country, and more important, if I went through the trouble of doing this, what was the point when they would only sit untouched in a different city, just as they have for so many years in New York?
Nick Bilton, New York Times

Twisted tales

A Shakespearean reference of the old library's books "shuffling off this mortal coil". The books, some of which were actually once in the library's stacks, were gathered from local bookshops, then twisted and trimmed to fit flush against the paneled wall. There are whimsical, nostalgic Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Harry Potter-esque references also, since it looks magical, and it's under the stairs. Created for the VIA Advertising Agency, which recently renovated and moved their offices into the old Baxter building, which served as Portland's public library from 1888 until the 1960s.
Warey Myers

Book Tank: Weapon of massive instruction

Raul Lemesoff's converted 1979 green Ford Falcon - now a mobile library which circulates Buenos Aires handing out books.

Mobina - estante e banqueta

Trabalho de conclusão de curso, cujo objetivo era desenvolver um produto a partir da reutilização de resíduos industriais. A solução encontrada foi o reuso de bobinas de papelão, originando um módulo multifuncional, que pode ser usado como estante, banqueta, mesa de apoio e caixa.
Mariana Piccoli

Circus shelving

Vivianne Kollevris

Really useful bookcase

"Leading product designer Ken Grange points at a bookcase. 'I designed this in the shape of a man,' he says. 'When I die, all my wife has to do is chuck out the books and put me in instead. That's real design for recycling."
Kenneth Grange

Bookshelf project

Benjamin Azzam

Haus W

KRAUS SCHÖNBERG ARCHITECTS

Is a Bookless Library Still a Library?

We've been hearing about it for years, but the bookless library has finally arrived, making a beachhead on college campuses. At Drexel University's new Library Learning Terrace, which opened just last month, there is nary a bound volume, just rows of computers and plenty of seating offering access to the Philadelphia university's 170 million electronic items. Scott Erdy, designer of the new library, says open, flexible space — the furniture is movable and the walls act as one giant whiteboard — allows student and staff "knowledge transfer," a concept reinforced by Danuta Nitecki, dean of Drexel's libraries. "We don't just house books, we house learning," she says.

Time

Piano bookshelf

Single keys can be moved up and down freely.
Stefan Ulrich

Mini Bookshelf Quilt

You will need:
13 various scraps for your books **see cutting step #1**
Various scraps of white fabric or another neutral, background color
1" x 20" strip of gray, brown, or other bookshelf colored solid fabric
Selvages or textual fabrics for book titles
Steam-a-Seam 2
Fat quarter for the background
Binding of your choice
Don't Call Me Betsy

Dream bookshelf

Inspired by the ability of every design to be made about fun and imagination. the dream bookshelf is a coversation starter no matter where it is. you livingroom or your kids play room.
Dripta Design

Book tree

Sherry Ann

All-Easy / Single Rack

Frack Design

Fractal

Edgar Navarro

Milky waterfall bookshelf

Marisko Studio

Albers bookcase for Gropius

While the painter Josef Albers was at the Bauhaus, he designed furniture for the reception room at Walter Gropius’s office in Weimar, Germany. Now the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation hopes to recreate and reissue the furnishings in that room, beginning with the bookcase.
New York Times