The Thing, The Book

John Herschend and Will Rogan, founders of THE THING Quarterly, are the two bookend masterminds behind this conceptual project which pays homage to the book as object. Together, they curated and edited the exhibitions of more than 30 artists, writers and bookworms, into a single hardcover-bound piece of objets d'art.

The Thing is a page-turning treasure hunt as each aspect of a book - from page numbers to footnotes, ribbon bookmarks to a naughty errata slip - was assigned to an artist to turn into their individual art space. There is something for everyone as the pages themselves feature essays, fiction, centrefolds, artwork, and a group reading guide.

Contributing artists include: Gwen Allen, Tauba Auerbach, John Baldessari, Martin Creed, Mark Dion, Anthony Discenza, Kota Ezawa, Harrell Fletcher, Ryan Gander, Sam Green, Jonn Herschend & Will Rogan, Matthew Higgs, Andrew Hultkrans, Chris Johanson, Miranda July, Starlee Kine, Andrew Leland, Jonathan Lethem, MacFadden & Thorpe, Mike Mills, Rick Moody, Dave Muller, Laurel Nakadate, Tucker Nichols, Trevor Paglen, Lucy Pullen, Ed Ruscha, Leslie Shows, David Shrigley, Molly Springfield, Sara VanDerBeek, Anne Walsh, Lawrence Weiner, Richard Wentworth

It's suggested you get it and put it to use for anything a book would be used for from pressing flowers, to resting a cup of tea atop. The video below offers a few additional suggestions.

The Thing The Book will sit proudly in any library, offering a touch of whimsey that will appeal to any avid reader, creative writer or artist alike. Crack the spine of your very own by clicking here.