Making a Secret Hollow Book

I didn't want to buy a case for my iPod. And I am never likely going to read the selected poems of W.H. Auden again. I am less sentimental now than in college.

I know, I know. Just saying that makes you want to quote Auden's "Funeral" poem (English majors unite!). I'll save you the trouble by posting it here. Then can we get on with making a Secret Hollow Book?

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

First, you need a book, glue (I used Mod Podge - something Diahan gave me when I asked for Elmer's glue), a ruler, a Xacto knife or boxcutter, pencil, and brush to apply glue.

Select a page that you want to be the first one cut out, and save that page to be cut out at the end. (I'll explain later.) Even if you don't want to save any pages at the beginning of the book, you must set one aside for a later step.

Holding the remaining pages together, brush the edges with the glue solution - enough to soak in pretty well, but not too drippy.

Allow this to dry, but use a spacer so the first couple pages, and the front cover don't get stuck. I spaced mine with post-it notes, and put a bunch of books on top to hold it together.

When dry, open the book to the first glued page.

Draw out a border around the edge on all four sides.

Using a strait edge and knife, cut out along the inside of the line. Try to make the cut as vertical as possible.

Continue cutting down through the layers. I found that a box cutter was easier to keep straight. This part takes a long time.

The longer you spend on it, the smoother and straighter the inside edges of your book will be.

Next, brush the glue solution on the inside edges of the pages. Give it a bit to soak in. A little bit of drippiness is okay, as the glue dries clear. This is also a good time to apply a second coat to the outside of the pages with the excess glue.

Brush the rim of the book with a light coat of glue. This will affix it to that one page we saved earlier (and will cut through soon enough).

Remember that first page we saved? It’s now glued to the rest of the book. Lets all turn there now.

Cut through this first page with your knife to open it.

When it’s dry, you're done.