apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Someone on the prior thread suggested color-copying the pages from the book to create artwork for the walls rather than destroying the book by ripping out the pages - I think that's a brilliant idea - it would also allow one to adjust the size of the image to suit the purpose as well.

I'm in the horrified camp, if you feel compelled to rip up books rather than scan them and use the prints. Don't you people watch Antiques Roadshow?! That is a definite no-no.

The print idea, however, is a fine one. I'd rather have a reproduction on my wall than a bit of mangled book.

Especially since nowadays you can get really excellent scans for cheap at any photocopy shop. You can even make huge enlargements or have them printed on canvas... for the price of a good quality book.

I know many artists would consider scanning and enlarging their images altering their art, and stealing. At least if you hang the book pages you are using THEIR art. By any extra copy of the book if you love it.

I've also cut up old calendars to use the pictures as artwork. (Mostly they're too cutesy or too National-Geographic-y, but not always.) Similar idea, but without the horror of book murder.

I just got a great calendar from the 1970's with different fruit for every month that I plan on tearing up and framing for my kitchen.

I have bought books for this purpose but haven't ever gotten the strength to actually do it.

I know many artists would consider scanning and enlarging their images altering their art, and stealing. At least if you hang the book pages you are using THEIR art.

I hate to nitpick, but this rationale only makes sense if you're referring to a handmade artist book. If you're talking about a commercially printed and available book [antique or new], then the art on a page is a reproduction of some sort of original. There is an original bit of art out there somewhere, which is the artist commission, but the book page is a reproduction, just like a scan would be.

Anyway, if it's for personal use, it really shouldn't matter. And, if that's a creative way to acquire affordable art and keep a book intact, great!

My mother acquired old, worn-out children's books at a library sale. The books were basically in tatters so one didn't feel bad about "salvaging" pages. I have several black & white etching illustrations and one beautiful color front-piece that's 75 yrs old. They frame wonderfully and the art lives on.

I think it's a great idea.

I go along with re-purposing the calendar. After the year is over, they are otherwise useless. And if you don't want to use the center of the calendar page or a picture for some reason, you can make a mat from the edges of the page. Or cut a few pages into an abstract set of miniatures. An animal calendar, for example, could make a fascinating set of eyes.

As for the books, they are not all sacred. I've bought used books specifically to turn into art. I would rather see a set of framed botanicals from the pages than a seldom viewed book gathering dust on a shelf.

i framed & hung 6 pages of this book in my entryway: http://www.amazon.com/J-D-Okhai-Ojeikere-Photographs-J/dp/3908247306

i can't lie and say it didn't feel weird to cut pages out of a book, but i do love the result and smile every time i walk into my apt.

i love books a lot, but i'm ultimately comfortable altering them for other ends. i could never afford a j.d. 'okhai ojeikere photograph, but i get to enjoy them on my walls this way--everyday!

I have done this a few times, the last time was a book I found for $3 of pinup girl prints, 3 of them are now in my bathroom. I had no problem ripping this book apart because I bought it for that purpose.
Now, I have been given an old Dick and Jane reader from 1947, the book is in worthless condition, half of the pages damage, but some of the pages are still decent. I bought the frames, but I still haven't been able to cut up the book....

If the book is still in print, I don't see a problem. Old books no longer in print being ripped up really bothers me.

I have seen folks on Etsy selling pages torn out of old, out-of-print books, some of them quite rare. One lady was selling a page out of a beautifully illustrated children's book currently going for several hundred dollars on ebay. I couldn't find any other copies currently for sale on any of my favorite rare book sites.

Do posterity a huge favor and leave the old rare books for people who will love and preserve them.

How would people feel about someone sawing up rare antique furniture to make some "repurposed" or "upcycled" piece of junk?

I've purchased pages from old books at an antique store (a couple nursery rhymes, a page from a French dictionary, state maps from atlases, etc.) and I do think they look pretty awesome. I don't have a problem with taking apart books, as long as they're not rare and as long as I recycle what I don't use.

I would never go with anything real

Oops, let me finish my last sentence:

I would never go with anything really rare though, but I don't see an issue if it's a fairly common book.

i found 70's student readers at goodwill and there were several of each edition. i bought two of each so that i could use the facing pages. i have one series framed of a story about "the big city: this is a big city / there are a lot of buildings in a big city / there are a lot of people in a big city / this is a big city. next i want to frame the series about how crayons are made!

I've probably said this before but. Sadly lots of books go to waste. I volunteered at a library bookstore/fundraiser where we had tons of donations we couldn't use or sell. We sent some to hospitals, to the Salvation Army, even to someone who was starting a library in Africa. But there were still some that we just couldn't find homes for and piled up in our back rooms. So for a buck, I bought a circa-70's book on houseplants and gutted it for the lovely illustrations of orchids and cactus.

As far as whether I would saw up a piece of antique furniture - yes, I would, if the piece was unusable and unsalvagable, say, a rotten chair with one good leg. Or half a good leg. I'm all for doing background checks on your book. But the sad fact is there are frequently items which you just cannot find homes for. At the point which you won't use something and can't sell it, I say, turn it into something you can enjoy.

I've torn pages out of a book for decoration before. I've also photocopied an image from a book that I didn't want to rip up.

The owner of the book can do with it as he or she pleases. Democracy is a beautiful thing.

Now, the real question is, where can I get those chairs?