I confess I’m not an avid reader, but I am avid about a few of the few books I’ve read.
My wife and I have begun our collection of classics atop a small shelving unit in our home. Apart from their being excellent reads, these ornate copies are something we like to have on display for us and our guests. The old, decorative books next to various odds and ends serve as the backdrop where my upcycling project will live once complete. And without need for a more complex term, it’s simply the “old bookshelf” aesthetic we’re going for in this small section of our home.
In keeping with that broader “book” theme, there’s a second element my project is built around: A print by Sarah Sparks (1), one of our favorite artists and musicians.The print (2) depicts Sparks’ take on the wardrobe from C.S. Lewis’ children’s classic “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”. The subtle but central focus, however, is on the writing at the foot of the piece, taken from Sparks’ own song and album “Into the Lantern Waste” (3). It reads, “So you might turn the page or you might shut the book, but the Truth is still Truth even if you don’t look.” Thematic of the song, the rest of the album, and of Lucy Pevensie’s plea for her siblings to come and see what wonders she’d found inside the wardrobe, this lyric emphasizes the truth behind and beyond Lewis’ fairytale.
So, a wardrobe from a book – with a lyric about a book – complimenting good-looking books – on a bookshelf… What sensible material might round out the aesthetic here?
We ventured into the labyrinth of the Lafayette Flea flea market to find a book big enough to border our 8.5″x11″ print. Lo and behold, this 1985 world atlas fit the bill and had the perfect neutral color to work with a black and white drawing. My goal is to carve out the front cover and add glass from an old picture frame to, effectively, turn this outdated atlas into a new “bookframe” for our shelf. I’ll also fashion a means for the book to stand on its own so leaning against a wall or shelf isn’t necessary – and so the pages won’t fall out of the cover over time.
To my surprise, Google yielded few examples of similar ideas and none quite exactly the same or incorporating glass. One DIY blogger hollowed out the cover and some pages of a smaller book for a photo (4), and another removed the pages to hang the cover on a wall (5). I’m opting not to border the wardrobe with a page as the bordering text would draw attention away from the featured lyric. Likewise, the pages serve an integral part of the message being conveyed in that they may still “turn”, and the book is still “shut”.
With a lot of desire to see this idea realized, I’ve already completed the carving of the cover and inserted the glass. I’ve also riveted a few pieces of bent sheet metal inside the back cover to both support the pages against sagging (like a built-in music stand) and hold a metal tubing kickstand that will prop the bookframe up from behind. My latest challenges are deciding how the artwork might best fit behind the cover or in the pages and fashioning a reliable way to secure the cover tightly to the rest of the book.
Citations:
2. Sarah Sparks Music. “‘So the Truth Is Still Truth’ Physical Print.” Accessed January 28, 2025. https://www.sarahsparksmusic.com/art/p/so-the-truth-is-still-truth-physical-print-free-shipping.
3. Into the Lantern Waste, 2014. https://open.spotify.com/album/2hIYPv45lWcF4RA0JfuD8s.
4. “The Red Chair Blog: DIY Old Book Photo Frame.” Accessed January 22, 2025. https://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/diy-old-book-photo-frame.html.
5. Brittni. “New DIY Craft Project: How to Make a Book Picture Frame.” Paper and Stitch, April 6, 2011. https://www.papernstitchblog.com/new-diy-craft-project-how-to-make-a-book-picture-frame/.