The Observer's Book Of

Andrew Malone has bestowed upon us a breathtaking series of altered books. Some of you may be familiar with the classic Observer’s Book Of series, maybe as a result of rifling through the dustier shelves in shops or at home... or perhaps you are just old.

Each book is a completely unique hand-cut artwork. Malone cuts around the outline of every illustration (unless they are on both sides of a page, in which case one gets dissected in the process).

As a book lover, I find altered books can be so wrong they’re right. To deface a book, perhaps one that is becoming increasingly rare, antiquated and valuable should by all rights be a crime. But when done well, it can be a beautiful act. It takes with one hand and gives with the other; every moment of destruction is at once a moment of creation.

These have been in the glass cabinet for a few weeks now, and the Moths, Eggs and Birds books have already been sold. Horses and Ponies, Butterflies, Dogs and Furniture are still available as I write and are £80 each. 

-Jon Lander