Weirdest bookmark March 26, 2008

There cannot be enough bookish gadgets in my mind. Therefor I applaud designers who take the effort to create something for us readers. Every now and again a designer takes it overboard and makes something that makes me wonder. It makes me wonder about how designers view readers.

This gadget, the ABRACADABRA bookmark, made me wonder alright. It took three designers to come up with this ‘gadget’: Jung-Hyun Lee, Won-Sik Chae & Rhea Jeong. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when they discussed the creative process of it. Maybe it went something like this:

Jung-Hyun Lee: I wanted to read last night and I could not find the last page I read.

Won-Sik Chae: Don’t you use a bookmark?

Jung-Hyun Lee: Sure, but they suck. I have used receipts from the supermarket, nice paper bookmarks with teddy bears on it and even fancy silver ones with Yin-Yang on them.

Rhea Jeong: I know what you mean. It is so hard to get your fingers in between the book and the bookmark!

Won-Sik Chae: Don’t you just hate when that happens? Let’s make something easier to save the readers. Think life vest, like on a aeroplane!

This is what they actually came up with:

You can find out more here and here.

Pop-up alphabet March 25, 2008

This book has gone straight to my Amazon.com wish-list. It is called the ABC-3D and it is made by Marion Bataille. I love it! Never has the alphabet been this pretty. I cannot wait to flip trough this book and admire all the different shapes. Click here if you want to learn more about the book, or even order it!

Origami book March 19, 2008

Get a piece of square paper, loosen up your fingers and give it a go!

Adorable bookish doll March 15, 2008

“I must have one”, is what Kristy said in the comments of this website. I followed the link to see what her excitement was about. My mouse click brought me to the Signals website. There I found this adorable cloth bookish doll. It is designed by Carmen Monago. You can learn more about it here.

Funny add March 13, 2008

I just found this add for an American bookstore. It might be old, but I thought it is quite funny.

Click here for a larger image.

The Science of Fairy Tales March 13, 2008

Ever wondered if events in Fairy Tales can actually happen or exist? I did not, to be honest. It never crossed my mind if it is actually possible to have someone climb up a tower by the means of very long hair. A Fairy Tale is a Fairy Tale, after all. It does not mean it is very interesting to read the science behind these tales.

If you are intrigued, click here to read an article posted on LiveScience. It is written by Chris Gorski of the American Institute of Physics. It immediately made me wonder about other tales too…

Online picture books March 11, 2008

This website, Lookybook, kept me busy for a while! An inspired soul has made picture books available online. How fantastic it is to see all these great books, wonderfull drawings and sweet stories. There are hundreds of books to be found on the website. It will probably have you turn the digital pages for a lengthy period of time.

You can also register (for free), so you can add the books you like to a personal book shelf. It is also possible to comment on books, if you like. If you really adore a book, you can easily buy them via the website. Have fun! (Click here to go to the website.)

Selling my bookcases March 9, 2008

I absolutely love my bookcases. We bought them at IKEA when we moved into our house three years ago. It started with just a few, but as time went by we needed more of them. Now we have four large cases and two small ones. Since I love the ‘classic’ look, I immediately fell in love with the dark brown Markör series.

After much doubt, we have decided to sell them. I have posted an add on a well known Dutch website. If they sell, we plan on replacing them with the (in)famous Billy bookcase series. Even though my bookcases are absolutely beautiful, we have to keep the future in mind. We need a shelving system in my library on which I can build on for years to come.

If you are from The Netherlands and you are interested in buying one ore more of my beautiful bookcases, let me know! You can find the add here. You can also click here to e-mail me about the cases directly. (You can also see them in ‘action here and here.)

Online book show March 6, 2008

An online book show was introduced March 3. The broadcasting takes place via titlepage.tv. The maker, Daniel Menaker, worked for Random House prior to this adventure. “The show, “Titlepage,” for which Menaker will serve as host and editorial producer, will feature four writers discussing their new books in a roundtable format”, the press release states. (Click here to see the press release.) I have not watched the first episode yet, but it sounds promising. Let me know what you think!

Presidential libraries March 2, 2008

A bookish friend wrote a post about presidential libraries on his blog recently. (For the Dutch readers, to be found here.) Since the United States are electing a new president, I decided to ’steal’ his idea.

“They are archives and museums, bringing together in one place the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and presenting them to the public for study and discussion without regard for political considerations or affiliations”, as quoted from this website, which tells you all about the presidential libraries.

The US has quite a number of libraries (12!) named after a (former) president. This is quite fascinating to me, since we do not have this in my country. Luckily, it is possible to visit all the libraries online:

• Herbert Hoover Library
• Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
• Harry S. Truman Library
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Library
• John F. Kennedy Library (see picture below)
• Lyndon B. Johnson Library
• Richard Nixon Library
• Gerald R. Ford Library
• Jimmy Carter Library
• Ronald Reagan Library
• George Bush Library
• William J. Clinton Library

Make sure to take a look at the gift shops! There is some interesting stuff to be found there!

Update: Some readers have been so kind to mention additions to this list in the comments. If you are interested, have a look!