A unique exhibition at the Grolier Club brings to life books that never existed—at least, not in reality. Running until February 15, 2025, Imaginary Books features 114 meticulously crafted works imagined from lost literary treasures or fictional worlds.
Curated by bibliophile Reid Byers, the exhibit includes dazzling recreations like Sylvia Plath’s vanished manuscript Double Exposure and Terry Pratchett’s The Octarine Fairy Book, shimmering in iridescent hues that evoke the “color of magic.” Visitors can also glimpse Aristotle’s mythical Poetics II: On Comedy, inspired by Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, and Nabokov’s The Lady Who Loved Lightning, written by a character who might not exist even within Lolita.
Crafting the Impossible
Each book is painstakingly designed with the help of letterpress artist Martha Kearsley and historical bookbinder Jeff Altepeter. Though many remain blank inside, Byers teases that opening them could disrupt their fragile “ontological balance.”
While lighthearted in tone, the exhibit taps into deeper emotions. “Some books give you chills,” Byers said. “They make you wish you could open them and uncover their secrets.”
Whether you’re a literary dreamer or a lover of whimsy, Imaginary Books offers a rare chance to explore the tantalizing possibilities of stories that never were.
