To honor the April 1st birthday of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), famous for his a witty meditations on food, the Preservation Department of Duke University Libraries held its fifth annual Edible Book Contest inside the ornate Gothic Reading Room. It’s no joke; bookbinders and bibliophiles from around the world gather to share their best edible puns and bookish creations inspired by the shape and/or content of any published volume in existence. This is truly an international event with a governing body and clearly stated rules for participants if they wish to be immortalized online with thousands of other whimsical creations. After thumbing through a few of these albums, I couldn’t help but think that these photos would make for a wonderful book.
Pictured here are some of the best entries from the competition at Duke.
