What are Altered Books?
They are books that have been modified in some way, so an “old” book becomes a “new” book. Q: Is this something new? A: Not really. In medieval times, monks practiced a form of book altering to economize on the use of costly parchment. The new books that they created from old books were known as palimpsests. Altering books evolved as an art form in the sixties, when artist Tom Phillips created a classic altered book called A Humument. Until recently, this art form was the domain of a small, but enthusiastic group of artists. The craft is currently enjoying a surge of popularity among scrapbookers and other crafters. Q. Why do people make altered books? A: Because we can. For the same reason that composers write music or sculptors make carvings out of marble.
Related Questions
- Is it true that many of the history books we may have used in school about the Civil War and Southern Confederate history have been altered or slanted toward the Norths point of view?
- What are some good websites for learning techniques to use in Altered Books?
- What’s the difference between gluebooks and altered books?
