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Is Book Collecting the Modern-Day Art Collecting?

  • Writer: Emmy Lawless
    Emmy Lawless
  • Nov 22
  • 2 min read

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In an age where everything is digital, fleeting, and algorithm-driven, something unexpected seems to be happening among readers: the physical book is making a comeback - not just as a reading object, but as a collectible art form.


Across TikTok, Instagram, and BookTok, terms like “bookshelf wealth” and “shelf tours” are becoming cultural staples, appearing everywhere from Elle to Homes & Gardens.


This shift isn’t just about reading. It’s about displaying, curating, and collecting.


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The Data Behind the Trend ~ Why Print Is Surging Again

The numbers show that the print-book renaissance isn’t a niche phenomenon - it’s gone pretty mainstream.

  • Print sales in the U.S. rose in 2024, reaching 782.7 million units, up from 778.3 million the previous year (the first increase in three years).

  • Globally, the book market is expected to grow from $143B in 2023 to $231B by 2033, with hard copies remaining the dominant format.

These figures signal something important: print books aren’t “surviving”- they're kinda thriving??


When I first moved to Boston I had gone out for a walk and there was this enormous line around the block, I was curious what someone would possibly be happy to line up that long for and it was for a bookstore? and they weren't even running an event. I also went to Lovestruck Books in Cambridge and it was packed (and had such a special lil buzz about it, can't wait to go back).

Books as Art Objects: How We Display, Style, and Collect

As a book-cover artist and illustrator, I’m witnessing this shift firsthand. In both the UK and the US, the illustrated collector editions I’ve created - including the Magnolia Parks special editions- now appear in:

  • TikTok unboxings

  • Shelf-styling videos

  • Book aesthetic flat-lays

  • Collector hauls

  • “Bookshelf tours” and interior-design content

Exactly the way art collectors display framed prints or limited-run posters.

Books today operate at the intersection of literature, décor, design, and identity. Shelves are becoming gallery walls (and I'm here for it).


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Some examples I love:


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“There’s a larger cultural moment here about why readers are playing a renewed value on physicality, craft, scarcity, and permanence -  and how social media is transforming bookshelves into curated identity statements.”



A Call to View Books Differently

If we accept that art collecting is about objects, taste, display, cultural capital and emotional investment - then books absolutely fit the bill. When I see someone showcase a beautiful shelf of limited-editions, I see them not just as reader but as collector, curator, gallery-owner of their inner life, a modern-day art collector <3


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