Feriatus

They have a word for it?

So it’s a rare and wonderful thing to find a contemporary book wrapped in something I just can’t remove. Or, rather, wrapped in something I love to keep on, to remove and replace, again and again, which is the case with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, my favorite book from Haruki Murakami. The cover, designed by Chip Kidd, contains only the barest of text: title and author’s name. No blurbs or quotes or synopsis. The surface of the entire cover, front to back, is a full-bleed photograph of an orange wind-up bird toy against a baby-blue background gradient. Geoff Spear photographed the toy so that most of it looms just out of focus. Only the bird’s eye—smack in the middle of the front cover—is sharp. (via VQR » By Its Cover)

Kyle Kirkpatrick’s book sculpture creates a topography that makes me wish I was small enough to visit. He builds a miniature universe within a book. He transforms the violence and destruction of the carving act into a landscape that is both delicate and inviting. (via Book Patrol: Kyle Kirkpatrick’s Carved Topography)

She is the epitome of style and the namesake of one of the leading luxury brands in the world. She was the only fashion designer to make Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century and she loved books. The Coveteur visited her legendary apartment at 31 Rue Cambon Paris and came away with some great photos. The apartment, which sits atop a Chanel boutique, played host to many of the leading artists of the day. Giacometti, Elizabeth Taylor, Salvador Dali, Stravinsky and Pablo Picasso were among her friends and known to visit. (via Book Patrol: ‘Coco’ Chanel’s Salon)

Tomorrow, the autograph and memorabilia dealer Nate D. Sanders will be selling at auction a most unusual piece of F. Scott Fitzgerald-iana: two handwritten poems, composed for the first and eighth birthdays of Mary MacArthur, the daughter of the actress Helen Hayes, with whom Fitzgerald had become friendly during the late ’20 and early ’30s. (via New Fitzgerald poems come to light » MobyLives)

France unveiled the first in a slate of powerful efforts to support that nation’s booksellers this week. As reported in The Bookseller, Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti is working to preserve France’s many independent bookstores with insistent language and even more insistent cash. (via France unveils a dramatic new plan to bolster booksellers » MobyLives)

I want one of these!

“William S. Stone builds some pretty wild things - from chairs without legs to surreal clocks Stone offers a refreshing take on basic household objects. Luckily for us he has created a few pieces for he book crowd including the “Study,” a self-contained outdoor study space” (via Book Patrol: William S. Stone)

It is pretty amazing what Italian artist Nino Orlandi can do with wood. Without any further ado, here’s a look at some of his exquisite book-themed wood carvings: (via Book Patrol: The Wooden Books of Nino Orlandi)

d-71 the universe exploding by azrasta on Flickr.

Books
losion!

The music kind of started pouring out for this when I was looking at the “God’s Man” book- Jim James Jim James is best known as the frontman for the very successful band My Morning Jacket. In 2008 while performing at the University of Iowa James fell off the stage and got banged up pretty bad. In the months following, while recuperating, James was given a copy of Lynd Ward’s seminal wordless novel Gods’ Man which as James says “really struck a chord.” How much of an impression did the book have? Well, his latest album and first solo release, “Regions of Light and Sound of God,” is based entirely on the book! (via Book Patrol: Singing about “Gods’ Man”)

Still Life with Book and Vase on Table Alexander Archipenko (Ukraine, active France, Germany, and the United States, 1887-1964) France, 1918 Sculpture Polychromed bronze 13 3/4 x 18 in. (34.92 x 45.72 cm) Partial, fractional and promised gift of Janice and Henri Lazarof (M.2005.70.2) Modern Art (via Still Life with Book and Vase on Table | LACMA Collections)