Designer Matt Carr found found two vintage coffee tables and was inspired to create a bookrack for his own home. Earning points for recycling and keepin' it green (possibly saving the tables from the landfill), he configured them into the Biblioteca Bookrack, offered by Umbra.
The shelves have a natural mahogany top and black lacquered legs. Dimensions: 44" x 37" x 11" (111 cm x 93 cm x 20 cm).
$525 on the Umbra site, but pssst, Unica Home offers it for $500.
Books For Africa distributes new and used books to students in Africa who otherwise would not have access to any reading and study material. Their mission is to put and end to the book famine in Africa. The books are donated by publishers, schools, libraries, individuals and organizations and are sorted and packed by volunteers who carefully choose books that are age and subject appropriate. Today, Books For Africa has shipped more than 18 million books! The cost of shipping isn't cheap, with each one sent there is nearly 40 cents postage required. Books For Africa depends on the generosity of donors to keep the program getting these books into the hands of deserving children.
Whether or not you support the reasons and politics behind why our troops are deployed, the troops themselves always deserve our support to make their service more pleasant and bearable. Books for Soldiers is a non-profit corporation that sends books to soldiers to help alleviate some of the boredom they face when isolated on bases in foreign countries and facing massive amounts of downtime. It's a great way to get rid of books you've already read (instead of taking them to a used book store) or why not buy the soldiers some books brand new? They certainly deserve it.
It seems like I barely have time to read anything anymore that isn't online, but I still love books. Bookshelves of books are relaxing and interesting, and they bring extra depth to a room's decor. The best thing is an established home with an established library of books, but what if you're just starting out or are completely redoing the interior design of a room? It could take years to find and collect the right kind of books if you do it yourself, but if you go through New York City Strand Bookstore you can order custom designed books by the foot. Looking for a collection of old leather-bound classics? Or maybe a bookshelf full of your favorite hobby? You can spend as little as $10 per foot (for a random mix) or as much as $400 per foot (for 19th century antique leather hardcovers).
I think it would be fun! Kind of like a big grab bag of books.
There are countless rare books in the world, but by most expert's standards the rarest of them all is the Gutenberg Bible. It was the first book ever printed back in 1456, and although several hundred copies were originally printed finding a complete first edition would net you $25-$35 million. In today's market single pages alone go for $25,000 each, and several years ago just 1 volume (it's a 2 volume set) sold for $5.5 million.
Besides the Gutenberg Bible other rare books include the first edition of Shakespeare's collected works from 1623 (worth $6 million), a collection of Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts (potentially worth as much as $100 million), and of course any first edition copy of the Declaration of Independence (worth $8 million). Edgar Allen Poe's work also makes in onto the "rarest books" list with his first published poem ("Tamerlane") being rare and difficult to find due to a byline of simply "By A Bostonian." It's worth as much as $200,000 to the right buyer.
Not many coffee table books come with their own briefcase but this one is no ordinary book. It is 720 pages that includes every centerfold from every issue of Playboy. The book includes over 600 Playmates offering a unique look at how standards of female attractiveness have varied over the decades. The black leather briefcase is lined in red velvet and has combination locks. It sells for $315.
Each edition is signed and numbered by Christopher Tolkien and Oscar winner Alan Lee and comes hand bound in the finest leather with a hand-sewn spine for the ultimate in beauty and durability. £350
The great thing about having a bibliophile on your holiday list is that we are easy to shop for and that the holidays are the season for gorgeous, limited edition books. Check out the new version of the Grimani Breviary from Levenger Press. The name comes from Cardinal Grimani of Venice, who purchased this beautiful illuminated manuscript in the 16th century. The original can never leave Venice and is housed in the Library of Saint Mark. The Levenger version is linen-and-gold-bound and comes in a matching slipcase. It has 110 color plates from the original Breviary with extensive scholarly commentary. The Breviary contains a foreword by Ross King, a noted author and art historian. There are 2,000 copies available and it sells for $150.
Wow, and I thought the Gucci book was expensive! The new set of Chanel books by luxury publisher Assouline (who has also done collaborations with Coach and Goyard) has it handily beat. The three-book set has a quilted slipcase that holds books on fashion, perfume and jewelry. The books are 80 pages each and the entire set sells for $550.
Bookends can be cute, and they come in all different shapes and sizes, but what if you never needed them again to keep your books straight and standing up in the bookshelf? The Gravity Powered Bookshelf will do just that trick, no matter if you have 10 books, 2 books, or just a lone floppy magazine on the shelf.
The name makes it sound like it's got moving parts or something, but it's really just an interesting-looking bookcase that uses gravity to its advantage. And although I do like it, I also think it looks a little homemade (like in a college dorm room kinda way).
Sometimes the most humble packages can conceal the most amazing finds. A cardboard box that was among the effects of the late Guys and Dolls producer Ernest H. Martin has yielded Steinbeck treasure trove. The box contained a missing draft of Sweet Thursday by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. The box also held the unfinished draft of The Bear Flag Cafe, a musical comedy with Martin and partner Cy Feuer based on Steinbeck's Cannery Row from which the sequel novel emerged as well as carbon copies of 13 Steinbeck letters dated from 1953, the manuscript of The Log From The Sea of Cortez, and a never-published short story.
PBA Galleries in San Francisco is auctioning off the find on May 24. The collected material totals over 300 pages. The lot has an estimate of $300,000/500,000.
Know of any reclusive millionaires with an end-of-the-world obsession? If so, perhaps they might want to be aware of the auction of the Nostradamus Library of the late Daniel Ruzo held by Swann Galleries in New York. On April 23 auction, Swann will auction off the 16th to 18th century books from the Nostradamus Library, which features an admirable selection of early editions of books and prints relating to the 16th century astrologer and seer. Ruzo, a Peruvian attorney and Nostradamus scholar possessed the only known copies of the earliest extant editions including the only copy of the earliest surviving prognostication by Nostradamus which is estimated to sell for $1,500-2,500. Offerings from the library also include books by contemporary imitators, interpreters, and critics of his predictions, and related work.
The funky French boutique Colette, a bastion of style and, usually, limited edition items from top-notch designers, is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and has called on some of those partners to produce a number of very exclusive items just for them. One of these is called "10 Magazines by Colette." The set includes 10 pages and the cover of each of the following magazines, each of which has played a part in Colette history: Big, Dazed & Confused, Fantastic Man, Huge, i-D, Paradis, Permanent Food, Purple Fashion, Self Service, and V. The pages will be chosen by the editors of each publication and bound together. There is no price yet, but 10 Magazines will be coming to Colette in March.
We've seen a monster book on Manchester United, now to add to the collection of luxury sports books that includes a book on Muhammad Ali, comes this massive tome dedicated to iconic star Pele. The book weighs over 25 pounds and is the first book from Gloria, a luxury publisher. The "carnival" edition of Pele had a £4,000 price tag, but is all sold out. The Super Samba edition sells for £2,000 and is a limited edition of 250 that includes a Pele photograph signed by the photographer. The Samba version without the photo sells for £1,600. Both versions are covered in green silk. Each book in the total series of 2,500 has been signed by Pele.
Words are almost not enough to express how much I like the design of this Random Shelving. The bookcase, which is made from white lacquered fiberboard, has shelves of varying widths and heights that give a display a busy, yet organized, feel. The unusual shelf layout is a more efficient use of the space than on a standard case, so you should be able to fit 50% more books on it without a problem. Each unit is only 32-inches wide (full dimensions: W32 x D10 x H85 in), but grouping the bookcases will allow you to fill a whole wall. Price: $2,250.
Designer Matt Carr found found two vintage coffee tables and was inspired to create a bookrack for his own home. Earning points for recycling and keepin' it green (possibly saving the tables from the landfill), he configured them into the Biblioteca Bookrack, offered by Umbra.
The funky French boutique 
