Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin [Paperback]

Terry Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

Here are projects for the “pages”: 40 innovative book-making ideas using recycled and green materials! More than just earth-friendly, they’re also beautiful, clever, and witty, stitched with traditional binding techniques.  Egg cartons, wood, beer cans, and cassette tapes morph into covers, while brown bags, coffee filters, and discarded newspapers are transformed into pages. Create a boxed set of cereal box books, an exposed stitch sketchbook out of cardboard and remnants, and even a faux leather journal made from teabags.

In addition to how-to drawings, close-up detail photographs, and simple stitch diagrams, a gallery of eco-books from an international roster of artists provides inspiration. 

 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

With so much emphasis on preserving the environment, it follows that crafters want to do their part to help. This book, an amalgam of projects by different designers, presents imaginative variations on the art of bookmaking. After setting the tone with some alarming statistics about how much paper we waste, Taylor explains the tools needed to transform that paper trash into treasure. A scattering of thumbnail drawings visualizing some of the more detailed procedures accompany step-by-step guidelines, and an appendix clarifies basic information about sewing signatures and building a text block. Also appended are templates crafters can enlarge on a copy machine. The projects, which range from over the top to beautiful and practical, make use of everything from old books and maps to Styrofoam egg cartons, cassette tapes, and dental floss containers to create journals, notepads, sketchbooks, and more. This isn’t your run-of-the mill craft book, for sure, but that’s the attraction. --Stephanie Zvirin

About the Author

TERRY TAYLOR is the author of 18 books published by Lark Books, including Altered Art, The Altered Object, Artful Paper Dolls, Button! Button!, and The Artful Storybook.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts; 1 edition (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600593941
• ISBN-13: 978-1600593949
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry Taylor is an editor, jeweller and metal artist. He has authored numerous Lark books including Button! Button! 9781600591457, The New Crochet 9781600592188 and Altered Art 9781579905507, and his project designs have been published in over four dozen Lark books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars projects run the gamut from quirky to gorgeous, September 24, 2010

By 

Kathryn J. Atwood (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin (Paperback)

"Eco Books" is an interesting if occasionally quirky look at the idea of creating journals from recycled materials, showcasing the work and projects of numerous book artists. Taylor's introduction, "700 Pounds of Paper?", gives readers a good dose of guilt in order to jumpstart these recycling projects and on this theme, scattered throughout the book are a few - too few, actually -- interesting vignettes regarding book and paper artists who recycle in their work.

Regarding the projects themselves: they range in style from those lacking any type of aesthetic value save an environmental one (the egg carton book gets my vote in this category) to sublimely beautiful projects such as the Coffee Codex and the Branching Book. Additional projects I found very appealing were the Patchwork Portfolio, Jewel Case, and the Elemental Book.

Reading through the book makes one realize that almost any item can be recycled into a form of art (ever hear of a cassette tape book?) and this concept is strengthened by the "gallery" shots scattered throughout the book, showcasing the impressive completed recycled-material projects of numerous book artists.

The project instructions in some cases include helpful sketches and just as often don't, which is unfortunate, but Taylor does include an appendix of basic bookmaking techniques at the end, making many of these projects very doable for those with a bit of bookmaking skills under their belt.

"Eco Books" may not save any landfills from paper overflow but its heart is in the right place and it's definitely a bit of fun.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recycle that creativity!!!, January 11, 2011

By 

Stephen F. Williams "Adora" (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin (Paperback)

This book is great in presenting creative ideas on how to make books/journals from everyday goodies. The pictures are great and motivate the creative mind to work the magic and attempt to make the books...I had a hard time following the procedures on several of the ones I attempted to create; but that's probably due to my lack of binding knowledge. For me, the book alone gave me enough insight and ideas to branch out with my own creations. I think this is a great book for those who enjoy pushing their creativity into new ventures.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recycle, upcycle - beautiful books from leftovers, November 15, 2010

By 

Robyn M Ayaz - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin (Paperback)

Terry Taylor is a wonderful artist whose work I really admire. This book did not disappoint! Who would have thought you could make such a wonderful small book with covers from an egg carton? As well as lots of recycling ideas, I found the book making instructions incredibly easy to follow. All types of binding are covered along with clear photographs and I would feel quite comfortable trying any of these delightful books. If you love the idea of recycling and love to make books, you will love this book.