I was recently doing some very important research on Pinterest (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), when I came across the concept of book sculpting. In book sculpting, artists use one or multiple books as their medium and carve, cut, fold and paint them to create unique pieces of art. I have to admit that the idea of carving up a book made me a bit squeamish at first, but I also recognize that this is a great way to recycle unwanted books. So, once my toes uncurled, I was able appreciate the beauty of many of these pieces.

Here are some that caught my eye.

This is an ode to Alice in Wonderland from Japanese artist Tomoko Takeda. Source: Realitypod

This artist was inspired by the Van Morrison song “Into the Mystic” (good choice of music!). I love that she incorporated light into this sculpture. Source: MalenaValcarcel on Etsy

A library within a book? Yes, please! Source: The Crone’s Grove 

Erie and beautiful. I wish I could see it from different angles so I could see everything that’s going on with this piece.  This is from artist Guy Laramee, via Bit Rebels. 

Another incredible book sculpture from Guy Laramee, because I couldn’t pick just one! Source: Gizmodo.

This artist carved up a book called The Hive with really interesting results. Each honeycomb has a different depth so that the design changes as you flip through the pages. Source: Spring Leaf Press. 

Artist Thomas Wightman wanted to create book sculptures that represent what people with OCD experience. This piece is called “Drowning from Obsession”. Source: My Modern Met.

German artist Alexander Korzer-Robinson cuts images out of old books and uses them to create 3-D collages within hollowed out books. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it looks like Herr Korzer-Robinson has a lot going on in his head! Source: Daily Mail. 

But not all book sculptors use sharp instruments to craft their creations. Intricately folding pages is also a popular method to transform books into visual works of art. Source: DreamIt on Etsy. 

I was happy to see that greeting cards with photos of book sculptures are available on Etsy. At $5.78 per card, the price is right and what a unique thing to send to a friend! Source: MalenaValcarcel on Etsy. 

There you have it. Book sculptures. Do like them, or does the thought of cutting up books make your hair stand on end? I’m curious to hear what you think.