A Book of Books by Abelardo Morrell 2002

This oversized book is a beautiful piece of work.  Morrell, an accomplished photographer who has exhibited at major museums including the MFA and the Gardner, has taken close up photographs of dictionaries, picture books, children’s books, damaged books, and pencils and combined them with quotes from Browning, Dickinson, Hawthorne, Austen, Neruda, Welty, Samuel Butler, Mallarme, Goethe, and Bacon.  It’s a wonderful trip through the physicality of books.  The introduction is written by Nicholson Baker, one of my favorite essayists.  In sum, this is a feast for the eyes and a treat for any book lover.