The Oxford English Dictionary defines a book as : A portable volume consisting of a series of written, printed, or illustrated pages bound together for ease of reading.

Today, with the popularity of ebooks and electronic publishing, the notion of what a book is comprised of is still evolving.  The idea of what a book is has also been addressed by many artists and five unique examples are on display in the Sherman Art Library from 6/19/14 – 11/26/14.

Non by Holton Rower
New York, N.Y. : Granary Books, [1995]
Mixed media artwork consisting of muslin cloth, fur, wax, linen tape, barge cement, bicycle tires and other media; enclosed in a muslin cloth wrapper.

Artist Holton Rower had been exploring non-representational abstract art, when he received a book commision from Granary Books.  He decided to pursue the non-representational theme into a book format, and created the one of a kind Non.
N7433.4.R683 A4 1995

An untold story by David Colosi
Brooklyn, NY : D. Colosi, c1996.

The artist has filed each word from a story under the corresponding letter card of a Rolodex file.
N7433.4.C646 U68 1996

Duster 2 by Robbin Ami Silverberg
Brooklyn, N.Y. : Dobbin Books, 2001.

"When I was in Japan I found a dusting brush made from the pages of a cut up book. In response to this confounding choice of disposible materials, I manufactured my own dusters in this small edition"—Robbin Ami Silverberg
Numbered 12/42
N7433.4.S55 D882 2001

Portable Mayan altar and  pocket books of Mayan spells
Chiapas, Mexico : Taller Leñateros, [2007].

Issued in an illustrated cardboard case (24 x 11 x 9 cm.) in the form of a traditional Mayan house (which opens to form an altar) and accompanied by: a clay, chalice-shaped incense burner, two clay candle holders in the form of animals and 12 colored candles.  Texts are in Tzotzil with English translation on opposite pages.
PM4466.Z95 E57 2007

Japanese screens in miniature; six masterpieces of the Momoyama period
Rutland, Vt., C.E. Tuttle Co. [1960]. 

727.4 C431j