Breathtaking Natural Landscapes Carved into Vintage Books

Decades-old, decaying hardcover books have an intrinsic, stately beauty about them. This timeless charm serves as a departure point for Canadian interdisciplinary artist Guy Laramée, who transforms the pages of elegantly aging books into sculptures of mountains, lakes, and monuments. Although the effect is breathtaking, Laramée’s intention isn’t purely to give pleasure. Titled The Great Wall and often depicting Eastern architecture and iconography, his series of carved books envisions a future in which, “Having recently overthrown the American Empire in the 23rd century, the Chinese Empire set out to chronicle the history of the Great Panics during the 21st and 22nd centuries.” Click through for a gallery of our favorite images from the set, and then visit Laramée’s website to learn more about the project and explore the artist’s other work.


Guy Laramée, Grand Larousse, 2010

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He needs to make a scale model of Mecca. Out of Korans.

I think it's a wonderful way to recycle old books. I work in a library, and decades old does not necessarily mean antique. When we weed obsolete textbooks and even encyclopedias, we practically give them away at book sales and even then have plenty leftover. It's wonderful to see creative ways of re-using truly unwanted, useless, worthless books.

I agree; while the sculptures are beautiful, the destruction of these vintage volumes seems a bit opulent to me. Each antique tome is a piece of history that should be preserved.

I find it disturbing ; it reminds me of the day my father's books were pulled off the shelves, torn and burned. I understand it meant to be a piece of art.

I am enchanted! These are so well made and original. Great work!

These appear super skillful and gorgeous in the photographs, but there is a whiff of gimmick. There isn't enough of a real reason for these to be books, or at least, perhaps, the books that he has chosen. If there were subtle indicators in the subject matter about conveying story, ideas, past knowledge, or human emotion, i.e. the function of books, without being obvious or cheesy, the combination would make more sense. Still in all, quite beautiful.

Well, actually books are to read, but these landscape sculptures looking amazing.