Customer Reviews

500 Handmade Books: Inspiring Interpretations of a Timeless Form (500 Series)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a wonderful book! 500 Handmade Books includes artist's books made of metal, paper, clay, leather, wood, polymer clay, wool, plexiglas, fabric, a ukulele, bark and more. There is a huge range of books, from beautiful traditional leather and book board codices, to books that are so odd or surprising. There are books with a sense of humor and books with a serious message. I could name names, but that would leave out hundreds of other incredible books.

For me, it's the more daring artist's books that make this book worth purchasing. These are books made by people who love books, and they love the materials they work with. They bring the two together to make books that will make you think about "bookness."

I have seen a few of these books before, mostly on the internet. But many of them are new to me. (Not that I'm an expert.) I want to search for so many of these artists, I'll be busy for weeks.

It's true, as others have said, there is only one photo of many of the books, so you can't see the inside, or the cover. There are no how-to instructions. But the caption for each book usually lists the binding style, materials and techniques, so you can look for some information elsewhere.

What a treasure house of incredible artists' books! I had to turn off the tv for this one, and spent two and a half hours lost in its pages, as my head was filled to overflowing with inspiration and amazement! It is difficult to describe the variety, beauty, imagination, and innovative genius reflected in this display of original handmade books. This is a book that will make you say "OOOOOH!" out loud! It's a wonderful reference book for book artists, book arts teachers, or for anyone who simply loves to look at and appreciate beautiful and amazing works of art. The books are beautifully presented, without commentary, in excellent color reproduction. My only regret was not to be able to turn the pages of the books shown and go deeper into them!

What a fantastic book! I received it early in the day and I kept picking it up wanting to devour it. However; I wanted to wait till I was relaxed and could do this in one sitting( I thought).
That night in bed , relaxed I was up half the night and not halfway finished. This is a spectacular collection that one can come back to time to time for inspiration or the mere fact that you are feeling down.This is a coffee table book, a book to carry with you for inspiration, a great gift book for anyone that loves any type of art. It is a must buy!

I thought this book would have shown how to make the book/binding. All it is, is a book of pictures of different types of books that have been made. Dont get me wrong the books that have been made are really nice but I would like to know how to make them.

I bought this book as a gift for a friend who hand-makes beautiful books of her own, and now I'm back to buy another copy for myself. The quality of the photography and the book itself, plus the beauty of the unusual hand-made books pictured, make this a must-have for those who appreciate this artform. There are no instructions here ... just page after page of "eye-candy" and breath-taking inspiration. The other book of this type that I love is The Penland Book of Handmade Books: Master Classes in Bookmaking Techniques (Master Classes in Bookmaking)

This is a book that will fill the spirit within! What an amazing assortment of photographs of such incredible books. I sat with it for hours and hours just exploring each 'book' (photo) as if having a ringside seat on the skill and creativity of each artist. What a treasure for reflection and for stimulating creative ideas for further bookarts exploration. This was well worth waiting for! It would be a great gift!

My poor review of this book is based on the fact that I was after a book on handmade books - useable books, books that might give me ideas on books I could make for gifts etc. This book features 500 very clever artist creations, books that have no value as a book, but look stunning as pieces of art. If you are looking to be inspired in your book-making endeavours and are looking to admire or be inspired to create something that would sit in a gallery representing an artistic piece, this book is for you. If you are looking for some ideas for making journals, diaries, gifts and other functional books, this book will give you few if any ideas for such a project.

If you're looking for excellent fine art or fine craft examples, this book offers some of the most unique and inspirational artistic handmade books. I love the 500 Series for simple, clear presentation. It's like a personal museum gallery at your fingertips.

But this is not a TECHNIQUE book. If you are looking for binding stitches, lists of tools or materials, or any other type of "how to", this is NOT the book for you. For basic techniques, you need "How to Make Books" by Esther K. Smith. For superb fine art hands-on steps, check out "The Penland Book of Handmade Books".

WONDERFUL BOOK on contemporary Book Arts! Excellent for Book Artists, teachers, etc. as an introduction
to what is happening today in books! Lots of Motivation to MAKE them too! Shows a great variety of materials
and structures, use of text and image, different printing methods... Get it!

This book is not "how-to," just page after page of exquisite examples of what an artist book can be--truly inspiring with excellent photography.