I spent today making a case that disguises my Sony Pocket Reader as a ordinary hardcover book. Looks pretty cool, doesn't it?
I started with a trip to the Goodwill, to look for an appropriate book. I was careful not to choose a book that might be precious, out of print, or difficult to come by- robbing the world of a book like that would be a sin. It didn't seem to be a sin to mutilate this copy of The Wide Window, which is still in print and very popular. The world has millions of copies exactly like this one.
The choice of book left me a pretty narrow strip of paper around the edges of the reader case- I hope that it holds up to use. If it doesn't, then I'll know that I should have chosen a slightly larger book. I actually had one in my other hand, a Trixie Belden reprint, but I went with the Lemony Snicket in part because I love those books. I also own a copy of this book with the words still in it.
To make the hollow book, I used some very handy instructions from Wikihow. Everything in those instructions worked well except the drying times- the instructions called for a lot less time to dry the glue than it actually took. I started out trying with a box cutter, as recommended in the instructions, but switched to an Xacto knife, which worked a lot better for me.
It took two or three hours to cut out the pages, including the time to shave the edges of the inside compartment. Kind of hard on the back, but what better way is there to spend a day off than making a thing?
