An Early 19th Century Mobile Bookshelf March 6, 2015 – Posted in: books in design, product design

Check out this cool little piece of book furniture. Hailing from the Regency era this little book carrier, ca. 1820, offered a nifty way to carry some of your books around. Here’s the full description: An attractive Regency period two sided Book Carrier incorporating a single drawer with fine cedar linings, the upper section with delicately turned spindles, the ends with swan shaped motifs. I can just see some literate royal filling it up with a beautiful…

Book x Furniture = Bookniture February 11, 2015 – Posted in: books in design, Content, product design

The latest bookish gem emanating from Kickstarter is Bookniture, an extremely compact piece of furniture that masquerades as a book when stored. The brainchild of Hong Kong based industrial designer Mike Mak, Bookniture combines the strength of an advanced honeycomb paper structure with the traditional craft of book-binding. Mak was looking for “something different from traditional folding chairs and tables” something that would “look natural and fit in the living environment, comfortable to sit on, invisible when stored” Here’s part of…

The World’s First Mobile Library; A ‘Jacobean Kindle’ December 11, 2014 – Posted in: book arts, bookbinding, Content, mobile libraries, product design, Special Collections

The year was 1617. William Hakewill MP commissioned it to give as a gift to a friend. And it just might be the first mobile library. The Jacobean miniature travelling library consisted of 50 gold-tooled vellum-bound miniature books contained in a wooden case that resembled a large folio. Inside there were three shelves for the books. The inside cover was an illuminated table of contents. The subject matter covered history, poetry, theology and philosophy and included works by Cicero, Virgil,…

Ready for Some Finger Reading? October 14, 2014 – Posted in: Books and Technology, Content, product design, Reading / Literacy

The latest gem to be concocted in MIT’s Media Lab is the FingerReader. Billed as “a wearable interface for reading on the go,” the device: is a tool both for visually impaired people that require help with accessing printed text, as well as an aid for language translation. Wearers scan a text line with their finger and receive an audio feedback of the words and a haptic feedback of the layout: start and end of line,…

Ruetemple’s outdoor book spaces September 22, 2014 – Posted in: books in design, bookshops, Content, product design

Here are some Russian-made products worthy of importing. Ruetemple is an amazing architectural studio working out of Moscow. Their three book-related projects are each beautifully designed, incredibly functional and fit perfectly in an outdoor environment. They have at times, been placed in parks around Moscow. The Gazebo Features a small table for lunch or tea, and easy-to-clean slatted wooden floors. Pavilion Features a bar, a stage and plenty of event seating. Pop-up Bookshop The glass doors become…