The Library of Lost & Imaginary Books

There are books mentioned within the pages of other books that never existed on their own, but what if they did? That’s the fascinating story visitors can explore at the Center for Book Arts in Manhattan where you can either show up with your own idea for a book or help recreate an imagined title from another book. The bookbinding equipment at the Center is traditional and the experience is physical and nostalgic—though probably most of the people visiting were not born when books were first made this way. The founder Reid Byers describes the delight of the experience he has created this way:

Making physical versions of pretend books, many made with perfectly chosen and sometimes startlingly convincing details, heightens that desire: you can look, but you can’t read. For the most part, the pages of the books are blank.

There is an exhibition of these imaginary books on right now at the Grolier Club through February 15th if you happen to be in New York. If not, the experience can be viewed online, too.