Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin

"Eco Books" is an interesting if occasionally quirky look at the idea of creating journals from recycled materials, showcasing the work and projects of numerous book artists. Taylor's introduction, "700 Pounds of Paper?", gives readers a good dose of guilt in order to jumpstart these recycling projects and on this theme, scattered throughout the book are a few - too few, actually -- interesting vignettes regarding book and paper artists who recycle in their work. Regarding the projects themselves: they range in style from those lacking any type of aesthetic value save an environmental one (the egg carton book gets my vote in this category) to sublimely beautiful projects such as the Coffee Codex and the Branching Book. Additional projects I found very appealing were the Patchwork Portfolio, Jewel Case, and the Elemental Book. Reading through the book makes one realize that almost any item can be recycled into a form of art (ever hear of a cassette tape book?) and this concept is strengthened by the "gallery" shots scattered throughout the book, showcasing the impressive completed recycled-material projects of numerous book artists. The project instructions in some cases include helpful sketches and just as often don't, which is unfortunate, but Taylor does include an appendix of basic bookmaking techniques at the end, making many of these projects very doable for those with a bit of bookmaking skills under their belt. "Eco Books" may not save any landfills from paper overflow but its heart is in the right place and it's definitely a bit of fun.

A very clever presentation of new uses for old things and new life for items that would normally be thrown away. Fun!