Ever wondered how pop-up books got to be so darn popular? (No pun intended.) Well, you can thank Waldo "Wally" Hunt, a former ad man who basically created the U.S. pop-up book market after discovering a Czechoslovakian children's pop-up book in a toy shop window. Hunt passed away earlier this month, leaving behind an incredible legacy that changed not just the publishing industry, but also advertising (he created pop-up magazine ads for Wrigley), animation (Disney was among his publishing firm's many clients) and greeting cards (Hallmark bought his first pop-up book company). Here's to you, Mr. Hunt. 


Here are 10 amazing pop-up books in honor of him.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! I, too, am stuffing both a turkey and my face on this, the most gluttonous of holidays. So in keeping with the traditional Thanksgiving spirit, I've posted a little something after the jump for your viewing entertainment - trailers for upcoming book-to-movie adaptations of The Lovely Bones, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Alice In Wonderland. Enjoy!

*Today's image is a Thanksgiving postcard circa 1900 depicting a football player (that's right - it's a football, not a watermelon) and a rather miffed turkey.

Mmm, bookcase ladders. Whenever I dream about my, well, dream library, ladders are always part of the picture. Maybe it comes from watching movies like Beauty and the Beast or Funny Face, in which ladders are featured in old bookshops, but I just can't stop drooling over them as I imagine myself flying along my floor-to-ceiling built-ins.

 


Speaking of Beauty and the Beast, I've posted the library scene after the jump for some purely gratuitous viewing. Happy Wednesday!

After more than a year of delays, the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road will hit cinemas just in time for Thanksgiving (how lucky!). Set in a post-apocalyptic world, it's not exactly cheery holiday fare, but thanks to actors Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce, the film will likely enjoy robust ticket sales, as well as recognition during the upcoming awards season.

Watch the trailer here.

Want to spice up your walls but can't paint or use nails (hello, fellow frustrated renters!)? Wall decals might just be your solution.

Typically made of vinyl, and available in virtually any design and color, these stick-on graphics can add an unexpected pop to an otherwise bland room. 

Check out a few mock-bookshelf wall decals after the jump.

In its November issue, Country Living features a nifty project that turns a book into a bag. Now, I don't condone ripping apart a perfectly sound book for this, but it's a clever way to repurpose a book that's beyond saving.

More details and similar projects after the jump.
(Photo credit: Lara Robby/Studio D)

The National Book Foundation held its 60th National Book Awards Benefit Dinner and Ceremony last night, naming winners in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people's literature. The NBF presented Gore Vidal with its Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters ("If I had a speech, I would be giving it," he remarked) and bestowed Dave Eggars with the Literarian Award.
 
193 publishers submitted 1,129 books for the 2009 Awards. List of winners and finalists after the jump.

This week's bookcase comes to us courtesy of London-based architecture firm Gianni Botsford. 

I love how books are just stuffed up to the ceiling and how those diagonal lines make the shelving a bit more interesting. There's another shot of the room showing all the shelving (yes, there's more) after the jump.

[I've had a lot of people ask me where last Wednesday's tree bookcase is from. It's by artist Shawn Soh; here's his website.] 

I love how this shelving repudiates the traditional notions of what a bookcase should be. It's both functional and ornamental, and it brings attention to itself, not just to what it holds. It's really lovely, don't you think? I see it fitting in perfectly in a child's room (maybe it's just because of those tiny boots, though).