Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Edinburgh Edinburgh Book Sculptures

Edinburgh Book Sculptures

Anonymously sculpted and donated, these sculptures made from poetry books and pages are sprinkled around the city.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Added By
Brooke C
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The original “Poetree.”   Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
At the Scottish Poetry Library.   Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
Patrick Geddes, Riddle’s Court   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Sculpture donated to Filmhouse Cinema   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Filmhouse   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Central Library   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
“Lost World”, National Museum of Scotland   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
‘Dragon’s Nest’, donated to the Scottish Storytelling Centre/John Knox House.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The sculpture donated to the Scottish Writers’ Museum.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Riddle’s Court sculpture   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Filmhouse   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Lost in a good book…   brookesheree / Atlas Obscura User
Tea, cake, and a book.   brookesheree / Atlas Obscura User
The original Poetree.   brookesheree / Atlas Obscura User
Magnifying glass.   brookesheree / Atlas Obscura User
Close-up of ‘Butterfly Tree’   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
“Butterfly Tree”, Central Library   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
“Jekyll and Hyde”, Writer’s Museum   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A thick tree grows from a book of poems laying on its side, forming an intriguing piece of art. The sculpture is titled "Poetree," and it was the first of 10 sculptures made from the pages of books to be secretly donated to a number of libraries and other cultural places of interest in Edinburgh, Scotland.

"Poetree" mysteriously showed up at the Scottish Poetry Library in 2011 accompanied by a note saying, "in support of books, libraries, words, ideas.” It was gifted as a response to the cutbacks and closures affecting libraries, and was later joined by two other sculptures, one of a cap and gloves and another of a girl reading beneath a tree.

Between March and November 2011, the 10 original book sculptures appeared at cultural institutions throughout the city. An 11th sculpture was gifted to author Ian Rankin. Like the first 10 works of art it, too, was created from old books.

The original book sculptures garnered national and international attention. They even went on a tour around Scotland in 2012, though they soon returned to their Edinburgh homes.

Though more book sculptures have popped up in the years since the originals first appeared, to this day, the sculptor remains anonymous. All that’s known is that the mastermind behind the mysterious works of art is a woman.

Related Tags

Books Sculptures Libraries Art

Know Before You Go

The book sculptures can be found at several different locations throughout Edinburgh. To see the first one, visit the Scottish Poetry Library. The library is free to enter and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Central Library on George IV Bridge also has a collection of them on display in the lobby just inside the entrance to the left.

Community Contributors

Added By

brookesheree

Edited By

SEANETTA, linkogecko, Kerry Wolfe

  • SEANETTA
  • linkogecko
  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

November 6, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Edinburgh Book Sculptures
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close
Edinburgh, Scotland
United Kingdom
55.951424, -3.178083
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bakehouse Close

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Dunbar's Close

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Museum of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Scotland

Places 184
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Bakehouse Close

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Dunbar's Close

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Museum of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Scotland

Places 184
Stories 7

Related Stories and Lists

17 Places That Are Odes to Poetry

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

Related Places

  • America, America is a modernist sculpture by artist Barbara Neijna found along Tampa’s Riverwalk.

    Tampa, Florida

    'America, America'

    This sculpture is one of many stunning features along Tampa’s Riverwalk.

  • The buzz on Broughton

    Savannah, Georgia

    Jen Library Bee

    You’ve heard of bookworms, but this small sculpture at a university library may be the world’s first bookbee.

  • Inside the library.

    San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

    Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

    This influential Renaissance-era library was once the haunt of kings and monks.

  • The sculpture.

    Woking, England

    'The Martian'

    An enormous alien invades Woking, England, as an homage to the H.G. Wells classic 'The War of the Worlds.'

  • Vivid in color.

    San Antonio, Texas

    Fiesta Tower

    Colorful curls of hand-blown glass form a captivating tower in San Antonio's Central Library.

  • Reanimation Library.

    Brooklyn, New York

    Reanimation Library

    Obscure and obsolete publications are given new life as works of art.

  • Cuypers Library

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Cuypers Library

    This gorgeous reading room houses the oldest and largest art history library in the Netherlands.

  • View into the reading room.

    Austin, Texas

    The Harry Ransom Center

    The upstairs reading room is packed with millions of rare books, literary manuscripts, and historical treasures.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.