Is it ever okay to cut up books?

[helena]

Book lovers, put your fingers in your ears!! And PLEASE don't tell my husband I'm asking about this! :lol:

 

I've been collecting free books once a week at a used book store. Earlier this year I found an old used college art book which had many photos of ancient history art and structures. I cut them out and have been using them in our timelines.

 

Well, now I'm finding all sorts of books that would be great to cut up and use in next years timelines.

 

What do you think? The book lover in me says NO, NO, NO!

The scrap booker in me says, "Go for it! Create!

Of course I've never scrap booked in my life... :D I just feel like if I did, all paper is game. (Except religious books)

[wapiti]

do you have a photocopier or access to one?

[Starr]

Used books need to be used. It sounds fine to me.

[flobee76]

I don't see anything wrong with that at all. If you don't think you'll need the books for anything else, then, by all means, cut them up!

[helena]

A cruddy one. And I know my self, I won't go make copies.

Sad but true.. :blush:

 

Oops! This is a response to Wapiti.

[july19]

The book lover in me always dies a little bit...but I've used some book pages in art and craft projects before. A few times similar to what you are doing, a few other times in more of a cut and/or folded paper art way. I always cringe a little because I've been reading non-stop since I was 5 and have amassed a giant collection of books of all types. I have an amazing connection to books and really really just absolutely love anything to do with books. Libraries really do something to me =)

 

I hear what you're saying and honestly don't really have a cut and dried answer. But if you're comfortable with it and it has a good purpose, I say go forth and create!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Lalalala - I can't hear you! :svengo:

[Mommy22alyns]

Lalalala - I can't hear you! :svengo:

 

 

:iagree::001_huh:

[Crispa]

Used books need to be used. It sounds fine to me.

 

:iagree: What she said. Better that than becoming bookworm food! (I mean, not a first edition Mark Twain or anything.) (Which, for all its value, wouldn't have scrapbook-worthy pictures anyway. So there you go.)

 

Anyway, the only practical difference between a book and a throw-away magazine is the binding, eh?

[bookfiend]

I too discovered the convenience of cutting up an old book for lapbooks this year. I did't want the book for itself. Other books do a better job on the topic. I figure cutting the book gives it one last valient purpose! Definitely foresee doing this more.

[ChrissySC]

I want to cut up history books to "wallpaper" a wall. I would have to say you could use it for a timeline!

[helena]

FTR These books are the kind of books one would expect to find on free shelves. :001_smile:

Of course I've also found some real gems as well.

[Jean in Newcastle]

FTR These books are the kind of books one would expect to find on free shelves. :001_smile:

Of course I've also found some real gems as well.

 

You're giving me evil ideas of things to do with those kinds of books too!:cool:

[Mrs_JWM]

I love books, too - in all their forms and for all their uses. Do it if you need to!

[Sparkle]

I've done it before, cut up books to use for crafts, etc.

[Aubrey]

I'm a book lover, & I say do it. If it's a good book that you want & you still want to cut it up, buy 2.

 

Books are tools. Use them *fully.*

[kchara]

I think it sounds like a wonderful plan!! I would probably laminate them myself, to make sure they stay nice.

[WishboneDawn]

Ditto Patty Joanna.

 

I used to work at a bookstore and one of the parts of the job was tearing the covers off unsold paperbacks to send back to publishers and then ripping the books apart. At first it was painful but then I realized there was nothing awful about it. I wasn't destroying any information, just a vessel and back out on the shelves there were still many copies that people had access to. I still love and have too many books but I think we often have to high an opinion of the form and not enough of the substance.

 

Cut away and enjoy it!:)

[helena]

Books aren't sacred. You bought it and can do with it what you want. If it were the last existing copy of the only collection of art in the country---then you'd SELL it at worst, right? :0)

 

Thank you-

You're right on here. :001_smile:

[Virg]

I'm a book lover, & I say do it. If it's a good book that you want & you still want to cut it up, buy 2.

 

Books are tools. Use them *fully.*

:iagree:

[Farrar]

It's like the whole using every part of the buffalo thing. Use every part of the book. :D

 

You know, like this.

[Dmmetler]

I buy old books with good pictures from our public library's .25 used book shelf, and cut them up. Lots of good pictures for the cost of a couple of photocopies.

[FO4UR]

I think that's a great idea! Cut 'em up!

 

I have a few books I try this on...(in which the books awaken in the night and run away scared to find a safe home)

[elegantlion]

A moment of silence for all the defaced books of the world. .......

 

 

 

 

.....Yes, I do it too. I figure if I buy it cheap or from a thrift store it's going to get used well, even if I cut it up.

[IsabelC]

Sure it's OK. But only if the books were going to be thrown away otherwise, or if they are books that shouldn't be read (eg anything by Pearl/Ezzo).

[Amira]

I'll vote yes because I cut up more than 500 books last year to scan. Scandalous, I know, but I have zero regrets about it. The paper and the glue are not the important part of the book.

[Bassoonaroo]

With the price of color copies, it sure makes sense to do so. My daughter and son competed in Science Olympiad. Both ended up doing ornithology (birds) which included a great deal of identification. My dd was in the high school division and my son in the middle school division.

 

We purchased index cards and cut apart old field guides (alas no free books for us, but we could get the guides for $3 or less and I think we had about three of them) and got some glue and made a ton of flash cards. There is no way we could've afforded to print out all those color (and you need color for bird ID'ing) photos. Whenever we had a free moment, we went through some cards.

 

The books got more use cut apart and glued on cards than they ever probably did as field guides.

 

Oh, brag alert, both kids got gold medals in ornithology at Regional and State competitions! Woo hoo.

[katilac]

I hate writing or highlighting in my books, but I have no problems with this! I would definitely do it (and have done it).

[Hannah]

You know, like this.

 

Those are amazing!

[kama]

I always want to be brave enough to do this with free books that are damaged or not getting any love anyway, if I get a book free cutting it up is cheaper than making copies but the thought of cutting up a book makes me cringe.

[SeekingSimplicity]

The practical side of me says this is a good idea. Try it. The rest of me is having a major panic attack reading about cutting up books. I may have nightmares.

[nmoira]

If it's not a rare book, absolutely.

[amey311]

Go right ahead - cut it up. Be bold!

 

I have a medical reference book that gets updated every two years. I'd been hanging on to the older versions thinking I could hand them down to someone, and then a friend pointed out that this was actually a bad idea. The book was updated for a reason, and did I really want to hand out potentially bad information in the name of saving a book?

 

Our city recycling doesn't take books, but does take paper. I tore out the pages (the books are over 1000 pages) so that I could feel a bit better about getting rid of them - I wasn't just dumping them in the trash. It was a bit liberating.

[iona]

how else would you hide your pickaxe :confused::confused::confused:

[Kimberly in IN]

how else would you hide your pickaxe :confused::confused::confused:

 

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[LBS]

Maybe to sooth your conscience: once you've used all you want from a book, send it on to a ps or library for similar use by other children. Mark each cover "scrapping" or something, but maybe if more children benefit, you'll feel better?

 

I send books back to Amazon if they have writing or highlighting in them and I only buy if they say they are clean, I SO hate markings in books. I am the queen of erasure, in second-hand curriculum.

 

BUT, a book that cost a quarter or a dollar, and will not be useful whole, but quite useful otherwise, wow, yes, it hurts, but you're doing the right thing. Let it have partial usefullness, another day, rather than get shelved and then trashed, later.

 

I like what several posters have said, though, it will help me use my books more resourcefully. I always hesitate to mark in a book, but I'm not sure why I'm saving them? To make money? To share more nicely? No, why? Duh.

[stripe]

http://blog.abramsbooks.com/2011/05/06/stc-craft-presents-the-repurposed-library-by-lisa-occhipinti/

for some ideas

coming out in a book, The Repurposed Library

[Diana B]

I actually have a couple animal books that DS loved to death when he was younger. I saved them so that we can later cut them up for lapbooks/scrapbooks. Both have missing covers & falling apart bindings so I don't feel so bad cutting up the pages.

 

I could probably cut apart an older free/cheap book if I didn't think it was worth anything and/or I really want the pictures in it. Old art books or history books for timelines sound awesome.

 

I saw a home decorating show one time that took maps from old atlases and decoupaged them onto the door of a cabinet or something. Looked AWESOME. Thought it was a very cool way to use old maps (that really have zero use at this point except by history buffs and there are still plenty of copies and digital versions available).

[Jamee]

http://blog.abramsbooks.com/2011/05/06/stc-craft-presents-the-repurposed-library-by-lisa-occhipinti/

for some ideas

coming out in a book, The Repurposed Library

 

The book was actually released last week. Just added it to my cart at Amazon. This looks like a lot of fun and a great way to express my love of books! I used to do similar book arts, but it's been years.

 

Anyway, to the OP, go for it! I too agree, that so long as you're not talking first editions or whatever, why not? But then I'm also one who liberally writes in books too. It's for that reason I still have all my college texts.

[MischiefManaged]

wasn't there someone who made shelves out of books?

 

eta: found it! http://dornob.com/recycled-books-turned-into-creative-bookcase-designs/

Edited May 9, 2011 by MischiefManaged

[Mimm]

Is it ever okay to cut up books?

Yes. :)

 

Also.

Edited May 9, 2011 by Mimm

[catz]

Used books need to be used. It sounds fine to me.

 

:iagree: Sounds like great use of an old book to me!

[helena]

Yes. :)

 

Also.

 

OH Wow! The Su Blackwell lady is GOOD!

Can't wait to show the girls!

[helena]

Funny update!

I just bought my 2nd set of old encyclopedias to cut up for timelines. I was shut down on the first set (Time-Life Great Ages of Man, http://www.volumelists.com/detail.php?ser=Great%20Ages%20of%20Man). My husband got suspicious :lol: and said "No way are you cutting these up!!".

 

Now I just picked this set up ($.25 each;)): http://shop.ebay.com/sis.html?_nkw=the+golden+home+and+high+school+encyclopedia+20+books

 

Hubby is not on the same page here... :D He calls me "the book killer" now. :tongue_smilie:

Hopefully he won't need these too.

 

 

I think our timelines are definitely going to have a vintage flair.