Discover the fascinating history of objects that emulate actual books through a video, The Quirky World of Culinary Objects in Book Form, part of the International Museum of Dinnerware Design‘s Unforgettable Dinnerware lecture series.
Presenter Mindell Dubansky has a vast teaching collection of book-shaped objects, including a variety of food and dining-related blooks. She is the supervising book conservator and preservation librarian at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Thomas J. Watson Library.
In the video, Dubansky shares a diverse sampling from her collection, made during the 19th through 20th centuries, including precious, rare and kitschy items such as tea and recipe boxes, ephemeral packaging, maple sugar and iced cream molds, lunch boxes, recipe boxes, napkin rings and more.
Dubansky’s personal collection of blooks and her groundbreaking research on the subject have been featured in exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the Center for Book Arts, and in The New York Times and on CBS Sunday Morning.