Today many individuals have ways to bring old used books to create new forms of art in appreciation to the books themselves by using them instead of simply tossing them away. Some new art forms that individuals have learned to bring these used books to life again are by alteration, while another is by building lasting literary objects with them.

One such builder that has been using old disregarded books to life again is a carpenter, who himself has a love for literature. He is a Berkley carpenter and craftsman by trade that can create beautiful lasting bookshelves with old volumes and novels that no longer have a resale value. By doing this he is adding value back into these old used books and the same time creating a new place for more books to rest. Instead of using costly lumber to build his bookshelves, he selects certain used books that he feels will be appropriate and withstand the weight caused by what ever the owner decides to place upon its shelves.

He selects used books that he feels in combination with other books will be sturdy and add a unique look to the bookshelf. The majority of the used books that he uses are books that for some reason or another never really cut it as premier novels. He judges the books that he selects strictly from the covers for what they say on them and the design that the cover may have. These used books must also have bindings that are sturdy enough and strong enough to stand up to the pressure that generations of use that these bookshelves are created for. The books that are currently being published today are not sturdy enough to with stand the pressure that these bookshelves are being created for, which is why he selects older used books instead.

These bookshelves have only gotten positive reactions from the public, which has encouraged him to create wall shelves and display shelves as well. He creates bookshelves that are often times special ordered, such as one he created for a lady that collected antique cream pitchers. This bookcase was designed with used books that contained titles about dairies and farms, which only added to her collection that much more. The one thing that is not scarce is not the variety of used books that he has to choose from and these bookshelves are sure to create a beautiful art form to anyones home.

Another form of art using used books is alteration, which is the technique of using collage or paper art to create unique ideas in used books. The idea is to simply take a used book and then individuals may simply paint samples on different pages at a variety of levels to create a kind of layered effect. The paint samples can be anything from crayons to markers to colored stripes to actual paint. Next there are times when the individuals will actually rip the pages in different areas, which will reveal the layers hidden behind them. Some people will create designs on these pages or cover up certain wordings so that they can create their own personal message hidden within the pages for themselves.