Books are already great because they take your mind to new places, but they are also physical objects. Books have bindings and printed pages which we can admire for their design and construction as well as their content. Some of the books I discovered in our stacks had stunning tooling and gilt work on the boards and spines. The geometric patterns shown brightly when tilted in the light. The covers can go beyond scroll work to include illustrations or vignettes based on the book's material. Many covers didn't shine, but were marbled in stunning colors and swirls.
Inside the covers, end papers can include everything from printed designs, to maps, to illustrations. Books can also have wonderful illustrations printed inside that can vary from simple line drawings to full-color artistic paintings. Book owners can also paste in beautiful book plates which are collector's items themselves.
The edges of books are not to be overlooked. Many books of a certain era showcase gilt or marbled edges. Others offer stunning examples of fore-edge paintings. These books, when their pages are fanned just so, display stunning examples of landscape painting. When the book is closed, you'd never know such a stunning piece of work is there.
Books have been around for hundreds of years and changes to binding and printing techniques have created so many beautiful pieces that it is impossible to list them all. You can see some great examples of beautiful books on the National Library of Sweden's Flickr page.
The next time you're in a bookstore, why not take a moment to pick up a book and just admire its artistry and design. You'll find that the item in your hands is a marvel to behold.
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