Fake Books for Fake Readers

By DIY Maven

The Original Book Works produces fake, excuse me, "faux", books to make you seem well-read. Of course there are other reasons for putting fake, I mean, "faux", "authentic resin reproductions of real leather books" in your library. You may want to cover a door with them, creating a Double-Oh-Seven escape route to your Aston Martin parked out back. Or maybe you just want the look of a library without the tedious job of accumulating books, not to mention actually READING them.

The Original Book Works faux books are available through originalbookworksusa.com. Included in their selection? A 7.25" by 10.25" panel (or 8 fake volumes) of Charles Dickens for $119.00. Sheesh.

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January 30, 2007

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Keter

January 31, 2007

Yikes - exorbitant price and pseudo-intellectual attitude! The idea of the "fake room" (in which everything is faux) gave me quite a chuckle. The proper use of real books in decorating is something worthwhile to think about, though.

The thing to first consider is whether your books are suitable for decorative purposes. We all know how geeky the "massive paperback collection" can look, so I think those can remain hidden. Next, one might consider the subject matter of the books and whether one really wants to showcase a penchant for particular categories (such as bodice-rippers or true crime). Then there's the question of design-appropriateness -- an ugly cover amid tasteful ones sticks out like a sore thumb, and a pastiche of mismatched colors and sizes can be discordant.

Books on display require maintenance and open storage will affect the life of the book. Books on open shelves collect dust, are subject to mold, warping (humidity, temperature, and gravity), fading and weakening of the spine (exposure to light), and generally do not last as long as books kept in controlled storage.

My library is currently safely in boxes until the remodeling chaos gets under better control and I get a proper library wall set up, but not a single one of them will be left "on display." At least half are antique or out of print, and many are on subjects not meant for display to casual observers, so they will all be safely kept behind opaque glass doors. Some fanatics keep their volumes in temperature and humidity controlled chambers, and a few very rare volumes merit sealed cases filled with inert gas. I'm not quite in that category, but I do keep my most valuable book (1 of only 4 left in existence, and mine is the only undamaged one) in its own velvet-lined wooden box with a canister of silica gel.

gregoryjohnson

January 30, 2007

Nice find! It gives new meaning to the saying, "You can't tell a book by its cover." I wonder if you can select which titles they give you. I'm fairly picky about my collections of books that I don't read. I like your touch of adding the photo of James Bond. Very nice. It would be fun to have an entire room of fake things. Fake plants, fake fireplace, fake books, fake food, fake animals, maybe even fake people. ~ Gregory