I went to an invisible library yesterday. It was very cool. We stumbled upon it as we were wondering around the Charing Cross Road area and went to look at the old-fashioned second hand bookshops in Cecil Court. The Invisible Library is (until the end of today) a “library filled with books that have been alluded to in novels but have never actually existed…until now.”
The idea for the Invisible Library started off as a blog/website and three artists, Chloe Regan, Rachel Gannon and Fumie Kamijo, who make up the INK Illustration collective took up the idea and decided to bring the books into existence. You can see photos of them and some friends doing just that on their blog.
The illustrators have drawn the covers for the “hidden novels”, which include the detective stories by Harriet Vane (the only author whose name I recognised – shows you how many books I haven’t read) from the Lord Peter Wimsey books by Dorothy L. Sayers. Real live authors and members of the public visiting the library were then invited to write the opening and closing pages of the books.
The library in Cecil Court closes today, but the ‘librarian’ on duty told us their hoping to take the exhibition into public libraries soon. I thought it was a really intriguing idea and a fascinating exhibition. I hope the Invisible Library appears again soon.
That is so cool! Blast I missed it though, I do hope it surfaces again.
Did you supply some pages?
No, I’m afraid I couldn’t think of anything to write!
I love this idea. And your photo. And wanted also to say that I will be thinking of you on the 8th — and hoping that you DO find that better job, the one you will love to do. xo