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https://theconversation.com/bookshelf-wealth-is-a-tiktok-trend-dua-lipas-reading-helen-garner-but-books-have-signified-taste-for-centuries-262443>
"Books and bookshelves as interior decoration are a new trend, according to
recent reports. An expert at Etsy, where some sell books by the metre in order
to fill shelves, reports a 19,616% increase in searches for “book-lover decor”
over the past three months, compared with the same time last year. Another
“more bespoke service” offers a metre of assorted vintage books, all with
orange covers, for £98.
“Bookshelf wealth” is an interior design trend on TikTok, too. According to the
Guardian, “A bookshelf that looks like an heirloom family collection,
complete with art and ornaments, suggests you care about literature and art –
and have time and money to spend on these things.” Even if you don’t read much,
you can gesture through your bookshelves to aspirations to culture and good
taste.
Like all bright and not-so-bright new ideas, of course, the use of books and
bookshelves as interior decoration has a much older history than its recent
online incarnation suggests. Bookshelves as interior decoration – along with
book-of-the-month clubs and discussion of books in popular media – were 19th
and 20th-century trends too, though with important differences.
Unlike books bought by the metre, those trends could cultivate a genuine
interest in reading – as do some 2025 trends, like the celebrity book club.
Helen Garner’s
This House of Grief was recently chosen by musician Dua Lipa
for hers."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
