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Best Books to Put on your Walls

031008_bot.jpgWe've been thinking about bathrooms with nature inspired wall to wall images ever since we posted about them in January. Since then we've amassed a list of our favorite books to, well, cut apart and paste onto the wall. Our favorite natural and botanical inspired picture books right here:

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Cabinet of Natural Curiosities $36.17 used
Art Forms in Nature $8 used
New Flowering: 100 years of botanical art $24.88 used
Redoute's Roses from Taschen $2 used
The Garden at Eichstatt $2.22 used
The Book of Plants $18 used
Art Forms from the Ocean $14.84 used

Now all you need is some wallpaper paste (an ok from your landlord) and a free afternoon.

Comments (11)

Yes, but don't destroy books! Make color copies of your favorite pages instead.

posted by visualingual on 2008-03-11 16:01:17
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If the book is narrow you can put it on a ledge shelf

posted by LaDonnaNichole on 2008-03-11 16:11:00
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visual,

What is the difference between cutting a page out of a book and using a color copy?

posted by Archie on 2008-03-11 16:11:01
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Maybe I have an irrational attachment to books as books but, unless you're really going to use every page, it just seems wrong to destroy a whole book for a decor project. Then again, I've never marked up a book with a highlighter for the same reason, although I know it's a practical thing to do.

posted by visualingual on 2008-03-11 16:16:16
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"I have an irrational attachment to books as books"

Fair enough.

; )

posted by Archie on 2008-03-11 16:21:18
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I bought a selection of Haeckel prints on eBay undoubtedly from a cut-up book. Only cost about $10 for 5 double-sided pictures.

posted by jenny! on 2008-03-11 16:26:46
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Yum, fiddleheads! (picture)

posted by TrishM on 2008-03-11 18:21:28
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trish!! i LOVE fiddleheads.. seems that i am always talking about our cottage on here but fiddleheads grew wild there! so lucky.. simply butter salt and pepper in the castiron.. yum!

posted by dailydesignspot on 2008-03-11 19:42:07
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Ok, kids, here ya go!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Kunstformen_der_Natur

That link takes you to a motherlode of Haeckel prints in very high res.....just click on the thumbnail once, then on the pic it links to, then right-click save, and send file to print!


Collect them all! 8^D

posted by btoddster on 2008-03-11 21:06:34
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Like Jenny, I've purchased antique prints that were cut out of books, which is really the same thing except that I didn't do it myself, so it feels less dirty. I actually love this idea, but I'd need an enabler to cut the book for me.

posted by visualingual on 2008-03-11 21:36:32
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Nooooooooo...I know, they are lovely, so lovely to look at. But every time you buy a framed antique print, you are only encouraging the destruction of old books -- some of which are very important for academic purposes! I don't know how critical this is when it comes to the study of horticultural books, but I know that the rare books vultures have done some horrible things to ancient medieval illuminated manuscripts. Book sellers have long known that, but for exceptional specimens, they make much more money by selling books leaf by leaf rather than as a whole codex.

It makes me very sad.

posted by artsandletters on 2008-03-12 03:04:50
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