Chair made from discarded paperbacks

This marvellous paperback chair is on display at Myopic Books in Providence Rhode Island (where the Rag and Bone blog's proprietor spotted it). It was made by artist David Karoff: "David Karoff welded the chair and attached the paperbacks: they have holes drilled though their insides and are slipped onto a hidden rebar frame. All of the materials are recycled - even the books, which are cast-offs from the Rochambeau Library Book Sales." ZOMG I wish this was for sale. Link (via Make)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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23

I never thought I’d go anywhere to see an uncomfortable chair, but I didn’t know there was a bookstore that close to me either…
Takuan

why can’t they be left readable and be just hung over wire spines?
Nin Harris

This makes me a sad panda. Nice idea, but I’d never do that to books whether they’re bad or good :p
cherylktardif

I am now very relieved that my novels are all trade paperbacks. The idea of someone sitting on them…well, it’s just too funny.

However, as an author, I do find this chair very interesting–great for anyone with ADD. Read a page; if it doesn’t grab you, flip over to another book.

Now if the books were all erotic romance, it would put new meaning to the term “the naughty chair”, as used by SuperNanny. ;-)
bluewoad

Duvall Books (www.duvallbooks.com) in Duvall, WA, has a ‘love seat’ made of paperbacks. They have a flash slide show on their site that shows it.
mdhatter

With a little more design that could be a sweet bookcase.
Antiglobalism

Do I see “Naked Lunch” in there, no?
lotek

“marvellous” …really?
When did recycled and “green” start trumping good, thoughtful design and aesthetics?
absimiliard

I must love books too much. I collect sci-fi paperbacks, or at least that’s what I claim when asked why I have sooo bloody many of them . . ..

In any case, that chair is appalling. It’s so appalling it deserves a few extra “p”s. Let me retry. . . .

That chair is apppppppalling! (and seriously wrong, no one should do that to paperbacks, or hardcovers for that matter)

-abs, doesn’t think this whole sig thing is ridiculous enough, so he’s going to keep adding text to turn an otherwise sig-like apputenance into an actual sentence. (now don’t you wish I’d just sign off as -abs? It’s so much friendlier to white-space than this)
DapperJoe

This is very modern art, where did you find it? Must have used those crumby erotic novels as fillers.

Dapper Joe
- Antinous
  
  Dapper Joe,
  
  Your blog link goes on your profile page. Thanks.
misterhankscorpio

Cory, you wish it was for sale? I could build a superior model (you name the specs) for you… Seriously…
insect_hooves

DO WANT!
misterhankscorpio

…slap an @gmail.com on my handle and shoot me a line. Mind you I am a professional designer/fabricator, not a starving artist (despite having a BFA).
Matt Staggs

Hey, Cory:
“I’ll Rochambeau you for it.”
holtt

I can imaging having cover ink leaching out onto your bare legs (or ass) on a hot day. Imagine having “Bukowski” across your butt.
insect_hooves

Takuan @1: You’d be in danger of snipping them right in half. You could maybe rig up plexiglass book cases for the seat and back and arms, tho, and then just use it as storage.
Anonymous

Good idea, Takuan, but unfortunately the glue and paper used in mass-market paperbacks would not withstand such use in a chair. The third or fourth time you sat in it, a few books would fall out of their covers, and the problem would get progressively worse.

I’d love a useable chair that could store that many books with the spines showing. I don’t consider the giant “Captain Kirk style” bookcase chairs to be actually useable, because they are too cyclopean to be moved about.

–Charlie
ohnoOhNoOHNO

I’d Rochambeau somebody for this chair.
Takuan

and that of course is my artistic statement on the bittersweet evanescent nature of the author’s fleeting words… like the cherry blossoms they fall at their peak and litter the uncaring tread of of the drab,work-a-day world we all seek to transcend by wings of prose. Either that or we don’t give a shit since there’s plenty more where they came from.
raisedbywolves

… but is it COMFY?
Anonymous

It’s an art piece people! It’s a wonderful idea. Think about it, the books that were used on the chair were basically headed to the dump anyways, so why not get creative and give them a use. The whole point of the chair is a fun idea.

You know, reduce, reuse, recycle?
Jeff9821

h n, s tht cpy f <>Lttl Brthr tckd n th rght sd f th chr bck?