BLOOKS = Objects made in the emulation of books

blook 1 Book as cigarette lighter

The word “Blook” first surfaced as a word in 2001 when Jeff Jarvis coined it to represent a printed book derived from a blog. In 2006 the word was short-listed for inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary and was a runner-up for Word of the Year.

Now, thanks to Mindell Dubansky, it has a new meaning: objects made in the emulation of books, either by hand or commercial manufacture.

Dubansky, who is head of the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is waving the BLOOK flag on a new blog devoted to these bookish gems.

All over the world, for hundreds of years, people have been making, collecting and presenting book-objects that reflect their devotion and respect for books and for each other. There are countless examples; they include bars, cameras, radios, banks, toys, memorials, food tins, desk accessories, book safes, musical instruments, magic tricks, furniture and jewelry.

Here are a few samples:

blook Ayscough's Universal Microsope Ayscough’s Universal Microsope