Anne Faye

"Novel Living: Collecting, Decorating and Crafting with Books" is a treasure for anyone who loves books, both to read and as an artistic object. Lisa Occhipinti discusses collecting books, creating a library, preserving and conserving, and crafting with books. The accompanying illustrations add to the beauty of the text and will have any bibliophile smiling with delight. I like that she advocates both keeping books and giving them away. "A book on your shelf is tangible, finite, and yours alone, and keeping it is the surest way to preserve its power." She acknowledges, however, that a personal library is a "living thing, always evolving, growing, and shedding, only to expand again. Thinning out is a necessary part of collecting books and maintaining a library. I loved her various ideas on how to shelve and display books and while I don't have the energy to take on the book art projects she describes, I'm now eager to find some book art to liven up...

I've been buried in antique books lately, attempting to sell them for a friend. It's not a bad place to be, really. I love the smell and feel of old books and it's a delight simply to have them around and wonder about their history. I figured as long as was surrounded by such works, I might as well do some research on the subject. I have a few more books that I am waiting for at the library, but the first one that came in was Rare Finds: A Guide to Book Collecting by David and Natalie Bauman, owners of Bauman Rare Books . This is a beautiful book in itself, offering delightful photographs of treasured literary masterpieces. It offers an overview of the most highly collectible works, including some interesting facts about them. It is obvious on every page that the Baumans are truly in love with books. However, most of the ones they feature would be out of reach of everyone except the most well-heeled collector. For the rest of us, this book has value for the pleasure per...