Booksellers seeks New Zealand’s most inspired bookshelf…

Whether it’s colour-coded, alphabetised or sorted by publication date, the hunt is on for New Zealand’s most inspired, well-stocked and lovingly-crafted bookcase.

Booklovers from Kaitaia to Bluff are invited to take a second look at the bookshelves in their lives, take a snapshot of themselves next to their inspired bookshelf, and email it to website@booksellers.co.nz by 12 December 2010. All entries will be posted on the Booksellers Flickr stream and judged by an expert panel of New Zealand booksellers. The winner will receive a $500 Booksellers Token before Christmas– so they can add to their beautiful bookshelf!

“When it comes to entries, there are no restrictions. Entries could include a treasured bookshelf in a family home, a precariously-balanced book sculpture, or a series of four-by-two planks and a few old bricks in a student flat, laden with text books, crime novels and dog-eared Lonely Planet travel guides.” says Lincoln Gould, Chief Executive of Booksellers NZ.
“This competition is a bit of fun, but also an opportunity to really appreciate the beauty that a whole lot of books carefully placed, cunningly coerced or simply shoved into a bookshelf can be.“ says Gould.

The search for inspired bookshelves coincides with the current Booksellers Tokens campaign featuring bookshelves that have been cleverly arranged to spell out famous literary quotes. The campaign is designed to celebrate the fact that Booksellers Tokens are accepted in more bookshops throughout New Zealand than any other voucher.

In one bookshelf the books spell out ‘To be accepted in 350 book shops or not to be’, pictured with the famous skull of Yorick, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In another play on words, books spell out the famous line ‘Wherefore art thou redeemable?’, from Romeo and Juliet. Another talks to the insatiable booklover, reworking the title of a very popular book to read; ‘Confessions of a ‘Book-Shopaholic.’

“Whether it’s the way in which the books have been arranged, the shape of the bookcase itself, or simply the selection of books contained, bookcases are always inspiring, and tell a fascinating story all of their own. They’re so much more than just a rambling collection of books gifted, bought, borrowed or loaned.“ says Gould.

Follow the campaign at www.twitter.com/booksellersnz

See the photos at http://bit.ly/greatestbookshelf

http://www.booksellers.co.nz/