'Breaking' Books = 'Breaking Bad'?

[Former_Member]

(sorry about the 'punny' title).

I have recently started 'breaking' books - ie cutting out colour plates to sell individually. I had always been against this, as I couldn't bear the thought of cutting up a book, but I have found they sell quite well on Etsy.

So far I have done a book on cats:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68941801/cute-kitten-juno-1950s-print

One on dogs:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80894287/sally-rory-and-hamish-puppies-terrier

Michael Hague's Alice in Wonderland:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80901867/alice-and-playing-cards-alice-in

Michael Hague's Alphabears:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77896049/1991-vera-and-william-alphabears-print

[Former_Member]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand a book on pixies:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68949033/cute-bunny-fairy-and-its-shop-pookie

And lastly a whole lot of Cecily M. Barker's flower fairies:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69860330/the-heliotrope-fairy-cicely-mary-barker

[Former_Member]

Sandshoe, I can't believe I missed this thread, because this topic is one that I grapple with almost daily. I find it almost impossible to dismantle an intact book -- even one that's somewhat damaged, not at all rare, or otherwise not really salable. For example, I have a really lovely Watty Piper collection here which features some truly gorgeous illustrations. Unfortunately, the book has a near-fatal case of "old book smell" (a topic for another thread!) and really could/should not be sold as-is. Getting the smell out of removed pages would almost certainly be easier than fumigating the whole book, and selling those pages individually would undoubtedly result in a higher net financial result.

BUT, I just can't bring myself to do it.

I'd love to have more team members weigh in on this. I come from a family of librarians and may simply have a genetic inability to cut up a book, and would love to hear others' perspectives.

A good percentage of the books I sell do go on, I think, to "their doom" and end up on a worktable. I often suggest crafting as a fitting use for the books I sell. And yet it's very difficult for me to do it myself!

[Former_Member]

Ha! Sandshoe, I just read your introduction in another thread and see you come from librarians also. So, that can't explain my issue.

:^)

[ourtimecapsule]

Bibliocycle, I think I have the same "illness" - a total inability to take a book apart, even when it is damaged beyond hope. I keep trying to talk myself into it but I have been unable to do it. Occasionally, if a book is falling apart, missing pages and still has some good illustrations I will set it aside for "someday" but I have yet to re-visit those books.

I basically think it is o.k. to salvage pictures if a book is unsalvageable. I don't like breaking up a book that still has good binding and readability - even if it smells musty or has some problems. It always seems that someone somewhere will want it for it's own sake!

[SmallWorldVintage]

It may be genetic Biblio. I am working on a degree in LIS and cannot dare take apart a perfectly good book for scraps unless it is already falling apart. My parents, although not librarians, are both very excellent record keepers and are lovingly protective of books and other media. I think I must have learned from them. In fact, I still have most all of my childhood books. I also hate the idea of old and rather unused books being cleared from shelves. I think I just like the idea of them always be there in physical form, but I understand there is not always enough room and library contents must be kept relevant to support its users' needs.

If the book is not in very good condition, I suppose scraps for crafts from it is better than completely trashing it. In fact, some wonderful craft projects may also go on to support some important nonprofit organizations. Many Etsy sellers do support nonprofits from a portion of their proceeds. This is something I hope to do one day also.

[TheSoundOf]

As a cutter where sometimes all books are fair game; if I'm looking for that elusive text or image, there are some books that I won't cut, and believe it or not Sandshoevintage has cut both of them - Pookie & Flower Fairies, which I find kind of ironic.

I do a weekly "stop by" at all my local 2nd hand/thrift shops where i see the same books week after week, and by me buying just one to cut, the following happens - I'm recycling, the charity gets the money, I get the enjoyment from making and hopefully the recipient/buyer gets enjoyment from receiving as well - everybody wins.

it's not the actual cutting that draws me in , although sometimes that's very therapeutic, it's the creating of something decorative and has a purpose from something that will possibly end up in the trash that floats my boat.

[SmallWorldVintage]

Great points Char! Any book preserved in the smallest of way, like if it is to preserve beautiful illustrations, is better than that book wholly ending up in a landfill because it was decidedly no longer desirable in its entirety.

I do appreciate the art of such creations and the recycling aspects. I just can't do it myself, unless, as I mentioned earlier, I deem that the book is no longer acceptable in shelf quality. However, that determination is subjective.

I have purchased a few books for 25 cents each in the past that were basically falling apart, but I purchased them for their illustrations. I would like to create something with them some day also.

[DragoninKnots]

Honestly, the thought horrifies me. I wouldn't buy an illustration (or similar item) removed from a book unless I knew the book was either unsalvageable or so common and unwanted that it would have been thrown out anyway.

In any case, ALWAYS do your research before deconstructing. I know of one case of an Etsy seller "upcycling" a highly sought after book I know to be worth more than $100 and selling the final product for $20. Know what you have before you do anything.

[TheSoundOf]

I had a seller (not here) refuse to sell me a book because she thought I would cut it up. The book was actually going to be a gift for a friend who is horrified by what I do, but still likes me despite that :-), to prove that I don't always cut things up, anyway too bad too sad for the seller, she will never get my hard earned cash, she seemed very attached to the book, so attached, that she had a bargain price on it!

I do heaps of research, which I love doing so it's no chore, and that's why I would never cut up a Pookie, as well as being a favourite they go for good dollars here.

[DragoninKnots]

Not sure if I could sell a book to a cutter either, lol. You would think she would put a higher price on it though, if she didn't want it to be cut up. People don't make confetti out of books with decent price tags.

[SmallWorldVintage]

Agreed! Research! Research! Research! I would not cut a book either that is worth a good price.

[ProfessorBooknoodle]

Just to add a note that may give some pause ....In the used and rare book trade the practice of slicing books for their illustrations and maps is called "butchering".

That being said, it is generally allowed by most in the trade, that once a book is beyond repair, that saving the pictures and maps for resale or framing is acceptable.

I have piles of old plates - maps, engravings and the such from books. Some of the prints came from books that were already halfway to being mulch, and some of them were picked up already separated from their source long ago.

I was at a local yearly antique show one day some time back, when I espied a volume sumptuously bound in tooled leather. It was one of the most valued of books on parrots of the world, and was famous for its hand-colored plates. I inquired of the price and the seller said - "oh, as soon as I get all these plates removed, I'll sell the book for ... blah blah blah ..." I was already walking away.

[ProfessorBooknoodle]

About condition and a book being beyond repair. The cost of repairing, and especially of rebinding a book is high. It is a labor-intensive process relying on skill and knowledge. --- A good eye and common sense. A book may be beyond "repair" ...ie, it may already have suffered at the hands of some rebinder, with margins trimmed and gutters so narrow that no further work might be done without intruding on the text.

Enter the solander case. This is a simple but elegant solution tor a book beyond repair, but still worth saving. It is a simple hinged affair - a box, if you will, wherein either the front or the back fall away on the hinges - the book is preserved within- snugly but not too snugly. The case can be covered in either nice paper or parchment or cloth ... or even leather should one wish to be extravagant. A title label can be affixed to the exterior. So the book, on its own may be such that it cannot stand on its own, spilling its guts messily across the shelf, becoming sorrier and sorrier in condition, but within the solander case it sits protected and available for use.

[Former_Member]

Brothertown, thanks so much for your thoughtul responses.

[DragoninKnots]

A solander case sounds like a useful storage possibility for well-worn books. Thankfully, none of mine are quite to that point, but I'll keep it in mind for future acquisitions.

[Former_Member]

I understand all your points - and charstreasures I think you might be right as the Pookie prints have been slow to move, I might have been better off selling it as a book!

I only 'break' cheap books for which I pay under AU$5 for as well - you have to have some standards!

Also glad to know you bibliocycle - you have a great shop!

[Former_Member]

Thanks so much sandshoe! You made my day! :^)

[Former_Member]

Just stumbled on this page quite by accident; here's someone taking it to the next level -- not just doing it, but profiting by telling others how to do it! I offer this link as a point of interest only, not as an endorsement!

http://www.clippingsfactory.com/