Sunday, February 26, 2006

How To Make a Secret Hollow Book:

The first step into making the hollow book is to select a book. Make sure this is a book your own, and not one belonging to the library, or your family. I suggest rummaging through books at yard/garage sales.


Make sure it is a hardback; otherwise you will cut all the way through the other side when you are cutting out the insides.
You'll also need:
  1. Elmer's white glue
  2. a container to hold glue solution (I've chosen a film canister)
  3. X-acto knife, and/or box cutter. Both if you have them
  4. brush to apply glue solution
  5. pencil/pen
  6. ruler, or other rigid straight edge

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.

Mix a solution of white glue and water. Just enough for the glue to be runny, and absorbed by the edge of the book's pages. 50% to 70% glue (30% to 50% water) worked well for me. - Half a film canister full was enough for this book.

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 used some old hard disk platters to apply pressure. It dries quickly- about 15 to 30 min


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

Draw out a half-inch boarder around the edge on all four sides. (Don't forget along the spine too.)


Using a strait edge and knife, cut out along the inside of the line. Try to make the cut as vertical as possible, or else try to tilt so the hole will narrow as you go down.


Continue cutting down through the layers. I found that a box cutter was easier to keep straight. This part takes a long time. I recommend listening to music while you work. Watching TV though could be distracting, and you could also cut a page out of your finger. (no, I didn't.)


The longer you spend on it, the smoother and straighter the inside edges of your book will be. My first attempts at this yielded rough edges, but the fuzz flattens down a little when glued (later).

After a while, you can store some of your tools in it while you take breaks. I did this book in 2 evenings.


When you get to the back of the book, and through the last page, stop. Dump out all the little paper fuzz that inevitably comes from the cutting.

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 later).


Close the book again, this time without any spacers. Give it another 15-30 minutes to dry. Clean up any glue that drips on your desk, like it did mine.


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. The insides of the book may still be a little gooey since there was no air inside to let it dry. -So let it dry now.


When it’s dry, you're done!

Fill it with whatever treasured items (or contraband) you choose.


Happy hiding.



Reproduced with permission from the author: Aud1073cH

606 comments:

1 – 200 of 606   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Sweet. I got tons of old reader's digest books laying around.

Anonymous said...

dremal tools also work to cut pages out, especially if doing a specific design cut out (such as a rock-hammer holding bible ala shawshank redemption). The dremal makes quick work of 30-40 pages at a time, and sometimes the heat of the cutting disk burns the inside edges, leaving smooth brown lines on the inside.

BrownsvilleGirl said...

This might very well be the most awesome idea I've ever seen. Now I just have to find a book...

Anonymous said...

Just to add to the idea, I have one that someone baought me, it's three books together. The Books were glued together, and then the covers as well at the pages were cut through. This provides 2 wonderful advantages. #1) You could potentially make your "secret hollow book" as deep as you want it, and #2) looks cool on the bookshelf, as it looks like you simply have a bunch of books pushed together, and only you know the truth!

Anonymous said...

Putting three of them together is an intriguing idea. But they are likely to come apart because there's no binding to hold them together....maybe if you use superglue to hold the individual books together.

Anonymous said...

Here's another idea, cut some holes in side of the book, leaving some spaces for magnets or your choosing. Viola the book will stay closed should someone remove it from the shelf.

Anonymous said...

Multiple books can be held together with long skinny bolts. Use a template to cut through each book separately so the knife or Dremel tool will reach. leave the back cover open on the last book, and drill through the book corners and countersink for the bolts before gluing the back cover on.
Some people have suggested other things to put in a hollow book, like a hidden wireless router or a hidden camera.
I'd frown on using a bible - It would be best to use a book that people think you might actually read. (Pride and Prejudice would look suspect for a "manly-man".)

Anonymous said...

I actually used this when backpacking in Europe. When rummaging through your stuff no one wants to steal your beatup copy of "A tale of two cities".

I am sure this saved me several times.

Shawn said...

crap. and what if i HAVE read 'pride and prejudice'?

dammit! i'm not manly. :)


this idea, however, is ultra-manly. kudos.

i don't even have anything to HIDE, and i want to do this. :)

Anonymous said...

I find that any old Bill Clinton Biography books work best

Shawn said...

YOU CUT UP 'TALE OF TWO CITIES?'

I don't even know you, and I hate you.

A. said...

This is a really awesome idea. I think that I'm going to make my first one out of Simulacra & Simulation, which was the secret hollow book that Neo pulled the optical disks out of in the beginning of the Matrix. It's a great book though, Jean Baudrillard is quite an astute observer of modernity.

Anonymous said...

One important factor not covered is the book you choose for this project. If you use a print version of "Girls Gone Wild" people will be apt to pick it up off the shelf. When I was in college, 30 years ago, I did this project using Maslow's "Systems Process" and no one touched it for years.

Anonymous said...

I'm a burgler - now I now where to look.

Anonymous said...

I've definitely got a few text books I can use to do this. Kudos to the submitter. Thanks for the instructions

Anonymous said...

what is the purpose of saving the last page to glue on top, and then cutting through it just like the others?

Anonymous said...

Works pretty well with a Moleskine. I use a hollowed-out mini Moleskine to hold my iPod.
iPod in a Moleskine

Anonymous said...

Woops. Wrong URL.
iPod in a Moleskine

Anonymous said...

The saving of that first page on top is because you probably marked up the page after it with measurements like in the picture, so that last page covers those markings up making it look nice and clean. I love the idea and also the magnet idea to keep it closed. I just feel bad about ruining a book.

Anonymous said...

i did it and it is pretty awsome but the cutting out part is ALOT harder than i had expected it to be...!

Anonymous said...

Of course, you could always buy a hollow book from Amazon. Their double book is only $20.

Anonymous said...

Excellent, but remember for security through obscurity you should place the book on a shelf with other similar looking books. It's no good having one hardback on a shelf of national geographics :)

Anonymous said...

Save me from a few beating when I took my Warhammer min's to school

Anonymous said...

Nice article. And it is true, there is nothing new under the sun.
I did this to a book I didn't particularly like about 30 years ago!!!.
And yes, I used white glue back then. I did not glue the outside though. Only the inside. Looks a little more authentic perhaps.

Anonymous said...

Lol, Bill Clinton biography! my thoughts exactly.

Anonymous said...

Lol, Bill Clinton biography! my thoughts exactly.

All Nations Christian Reformed Church said...

Am I alone in thinking that the best thing about this post was that you just happened to have some old hard disk platters lying around?

I miss my PDP11/23.

Anonymous said...

Hehe... good one :)

Anonymous said...

you could use a sheet protector instard of spacer

Anonymous said...

Book version of Girls Gone Wild?

Where? Where???

After all, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie...

Anonymous said...

What's a "book"? Is that one of those old-fangled things with words printed on paper? ;-)

Anonymous said...

A book is just too great a thing to be cut in such a way... for me at least.

Erik said...

Gives a whole new meaning to "kill another tree". This idea is great and all the ideas are super too. Maybe if I was around 30 years ago I would've done the same thing. "OOOhhhh, I'm Mr. Old-and-experienced and I did it when you were still pooping green in your diapers. Let me just keep all my tid-bits of experience and information to myself." Thanks, Dude.
Now go take your Geritol and goto sleep- a-hole.

Anonymous said...

"what is the purpose of saving the last page to glue on top, and then cutting through it just like the others?"

It's to cover up the lines you initially drew to cut the book apart.

Hey Paul said...

Speaking of security--what about using one of those blank diary books with the locks. Adds a bit of security without increasing suspision.

Anonymous said...

I made one out of a Bible, no one ever opens that. Works great.

Anonymous said...

"Here's another idea, cut some holes in side of the book, leaving some spaces for magnets or your choosing. Viola the book will stay closed should someone remove it from the shelf."

Here's my choosing: Velcro closures.

Anonymous said...

Now make this a case mod and install a computer mother board and necessary accessories inside.

Anonymous said...

Memorize books before burning.

Willo said...

I did this in high school and used an old physics textbook. It was something I was expected to have on my shelf, but something no one would casually take off the shelf to read or browse.

Anonymous said...

You could use a dictionary, then the only chance you've got of it being opened is if you're the kind of person that allows that sort of thing during a game of scrabble.

And that also means you're the kind of person that plays scrabble.

Anonymous said...

How many pages are best to leave unglued at the front?

Anonymous said...

Yeah i think a blog post with just lotsa photos of that HDD platter would rock. From different angles/angels (sp?) and back grounds. Perhaps the HDD platters could do more then just add weight to a book glue time. Perhaps it could be shown saving a cat from a tree and a child from a burning building, and helping an old lady cross the road. Ok, maybe i just think the HDD Platter is sexy... SO WHAT!?

Anonymous said...

I did this 20 or so years ago when I was a kid with a computer dictionary from the 70s that I got at a library sale. I'm not sure what the point of saving a page just to cut it is, I never did that... Also wax paper or plastic wrap would be a better divider.

However, be warned: I also diluted glue with water, and the result was a book that looked like I dropped it in a bathtub. So, don't go nuts with the glue and water and press it relly well when it dries. Be neat: it will pay off in the end.

Anonymous said...

Try using a packing foam material to cushion the impact of the items inside the book. Semipermenant items should be padded for traveling.

Years ago, I hid all those trinkets among other junk. Now I can't find them.

Anonymous said...

This is great, i find that the harry potter books work best if that helps

Anonymous said...

For travel, it would make sense to have some sort of locking system, like a magnetic clasp(assuming you aren't storing floppies or something.) I made one of these when I was a kid and used it quite a bit. I converted a book from a library sale called "General Crack" from the early 1900's.
Never choose a provacative name for a book like this. Choose boring, but apropo to your personality.

Anonymous said...

I did this when I was 7 (shit, 25 years ago) but didn't get around to gluing it or anything. Worked fine loose-leaf.

The best thing was the book I chose : It was a hardback from the second-hand store 10c bin, called "The Disappearance" :-B :-B

My mum still uses it today for petty cash!

Anonymous said...

I did this for Crispness presents years ago when I was strapped for cash. Kids love secret places to hide stuff.

I got the books from a used bookstore. I told the guy what I was going to do and he brought out a box of unsellable books - Reader's Digest Condensed Books and such - which he sold to me all for one dollar. I didn't feel bad about sacrificing those books. He was probably going to throw them out anyway.

Even if you have a variable speed model, a Dremel tool turns much too quickly to cut paper. It tends to burn it's way through and quickly becomes fouled with carbon. If you must, put it on it's slowest speed and use a router bit with only one or two blades.

Here's another idea that I have done. I had an old external CD-ROM drive that had gone on to meet it's manufacturer. Instead of throwing it out, I took it apart and threw away the guts. Then I made a wooden drawer to fit and attached the faceplate to the front. It still has all the ports and stuff on the back so I could even "plug it in". It's been sitting near my computer for years and no one has given it a second glance.
GrinfilledCelt

Anonymous said...

This is so sexy

Anonymous said...

when drying glue it helps to use a hair dryer

Anonymous said...

Cool, I'm off to the library with this card I found at the bus stop!
Make sure you make it big enough to hold a DVD case

Anonymous said...

Cool...make sure it's big enough for a DVD case,
I'm off to get some books with this library card I found at the bus stop!

Anonymous said...

I keep my stuff in a box at the bank. It doesn't cost much and comes with a key and everything! So far they haven't complained about the Freash Herbal smell or my daily visits!

Anonymous said...

By far, the best book to hollow out would be "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. It's over 1000 pages thick, and it's so boring that no one will miss it. You'll do the world a service by using it. Plus, anyone in their right mind won't touch it. It's that bad.

Anonymous said...

Great idea! But Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged is...amazing. I don't see how you could think otherwise. I recommend an old, beat-up James Michener book.

Anonymous said...

Atlas Shrugged is awesome, fuck you.

Anonymous said...

i highly suggest doing this with bibles.. what use are they otherwise?

Anonymous said...

Tsk tsk tsk children. The bible is HOLY and not meant to be HOLE-Y!

Anonymous said...

I'm using a microsoft Visual C++ reference book. A fitting end for a MS book, being covered in goo and cut up.

Anonymous said...

Funny all these people telling you that the idea is old. In fact everything we do has usually been done before.
The first hollow book I saw was rather small and contained a little pistol. I saw it in a museum (don't remember which one - but I guess in Venice), the pistol was an antique model around the 16th or 17th century and the book?
You guessed it: it was a bible.
Looks like priests too needed a gun in the dark nights in the cities of that time.

Anonymous said...

it would be pretty badass to, as someone said, put a motherboard in one... the only problem being that you cant fit an entire coputer in one book so you could make like one book with a motherboard, another with hard drive, another with cd drives that open in some interesting and hidden way and make them all connect together really cratively, then your bookshelf is converted into a completely spy like computer....

(or you could just use a regular computer, but wheres the fun there?)

Anonymous said...

dude... ill use some of my moms old novels. omg this idea is so cool. u can hide stuff from ur older brother

Anonymous said...

HA NOW ALL KNOW WHERE !YOU! WHERE YOU ARE PUTTED YOUR THINGS

Anonymous said...

Lietuva waldo o jus anglai gajdziai

Anonymous said...

je lietuwa waldo:)bet anglai ne gaidziai:)

Anonymous said...

LIETUVA LIETUVA LIETUVA! mes geriausi ir taskas .

Anonymous said...

I sew that in SIMPSONS show!
As maciau tapati per Simpsonus.

Anonymous said...

Lietuva waldo!Anglai lopai gaidziai paskutiniai!

Anonymous said...

Lietuva lietuva :D lietuviui lietuvis - latvis :D
englai duxai

Anonymous said...

ei ei chebra...nevarykit ant zmoniu, nebukit prakeikti nacionalistai ar siaip kokie profasistinio judejimo nariai - jie juk irgi zmones. ar ne? and one more thing - write in english, please ;)

Anonymous said...

jei neturit ka gero pasakyti, tai patylekit ir nedarykit savo saliai gedos

Anonymous said...

I have the PERFECT book for this. "Websters Modern Encyclopedia of Dictionaries" Should work well,

Anonymous said...

bollocks o got a bokk, its the HOLY BIBLE now ill have to wait untill next week to get another book

Anonymous said...

As a Bible school student, I oppose to the use of Bibles for this.

Not for moral reasons, but because my intensive interaction with them has shown me their flimsiness.

Bible pages rip waaaay too easy for this to be effective, the paper's not even thick enough to be called paper. It's like tissue paper with writing on it.

Anonymous said...

use wood glue its better and dires clear

Anonymous said...

now i have to make one!

Anonymous said...

I did this in about 2 1/2 hours... It was the greatest 2 1/2 hours of my life. lol

Anonymous said...

I made one of these years and years ago, with a suitably anonymous (dull) hardcover that I had around. It was actually a library discard, an old almanac of some kind. It was a bit more obvious back then (I had far fewer books, and this didn't blend in well with what I did have), but it would be a great technique to use now (given that I have thousands of hardcovers. I should revisit this sometime.

Anonymous said...

Me being a person who likes to eat found a book that is boring that works well...A World Of Cheese

Anonymous said...

i just made one of these out of a star trek reader III book lol.

Anonymous said...

''Of course, you could always buy a hollow book from Amazon. Their double book is only $20.''

now wheres the fun in that mate?

Anonymous said...

try using a pocket knife that works great too!

Anonymous said...

im going to make it with some help provided by my grandmother.(Im 12 dont blame me)!!!:-)

Anonymous said...

Thanks, I am going to have to try this out. I have some books that were supposed to go to the Goodwill, I will just grab a few of those! By the way, I put up a link to this page in the survivalist section over at http://www.hoardingcopper.com

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if anyone out there ever came across one of these hollow books probably produced commercially in the 1940's or so called the Diary of a Street Sweep? Inside were a dust pan and straw broom. it was something my sisters and I were supposed to leave alone... Of course we played with it so much we lost the tools, and shredded the book. Perhaps there is someone old, out there who would remember.

Anonymous said...

I didn't have a hardcover book, so I glued recycled paper together, and used some bookbinding skills, and turned it into a hardcover book. This project it great. The only thing wrong with mine is that some pages come apart when you try to flatten the pages.

Anonymous said...

A great way to speed up the page-cutting process is to use an electric drill to make a hole at each corner through all of the pages at once (make sure you don't drill through the back cover). Then you just have to cut straight lines between the holes instead of having to cut the corners, which I thought was the hardest part on the first book I hollowed out.

Anonymous said...

the drill idea is great. to avoid drilling through the cover(s), just flip them away from the rest of the book. :) my neighbours old dictionary fits my flamethrower rather snugly

Anonymous said...

The classic secret book is one of those things that you hear about but ever get a firm idea on how to make one. I think one of these would make a great case for an iPod or maybe even a robot. Thanks for the tutorial.

Anonymous said...

That guide looked like one from yoshi's modding forums. It's cool though.

Anonymous said...

Even better idea..gut an old laptop, fill it with crap, leave it somewhere in public and see who takes it then imagine what they say when they realise that it's filled with crap. Ok, so I'm bored.

Anonymous said...

This is an awesome technique! Another thing you could do is use a book to cover a floating shelf. Instead of having a margin on all sides, cut all the way out on the side, then glue around the shelf. That way you can float a few books in the air.

Anonymous said...

I did this a while back and it works great - it sits on my bedside table in a stack of other books, nobody ever suspects that it has condoms in it!

Anonymous said...

I did this but with a magnetic lock.


You can slide a razor/boxcutter under the flap of paper on the inside cover, and peel it back. Then you can cut a square out of the cartboard so that you can place a flat piece of metal flush with the rest of the cardboard. Then glue it back down. Then, before you glue the pages together, flip 20 or 30 pages in and cut a hole for a strong little neodymium magnet. Glue it in. Once you have that installed, you can glue the pages and cut as normal, being careful not to hit the magnet. Once it's all done, the cover will stay securely shut due to the magnet.

Nicole said...

Ok who said Harry Potter works best?!? How could you cut up Harry Potter?!?!

Oh, well. I like the diary idea. Here's an idea:
Separate it in the middle and glue both halves so it looks like you are halfway through the book.





www.wahaooiee.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I use a variety of books. Old thick paperbacks are good but I've found old out of date dictionaries and almanc books are best. Hell one was so big I added a magnetic closure and straps and made it into a neat purse for my girlfriend, an English major.

Anonymous said...

"How could you cut up Harry Potter?!?!"
yeah, how could you? ;-)
seriously, the latest Tom Clancy works best. you could murder people by hitting them on the head with it.

And the best place to hide your Smith&Wesson or Koch&Heckler would be "To Kill a Mockingbird".

btw, the posts here are priceless... those were funnier than the entire season of (insert title here).

Anonymous said...

I have a book I bought at a used book store thinking it was a real treasure as it dates to 1733. Lo & behold I found out it is hollowed out inside and has a note inside that states "this is a butterfly worn by Marie Antoinette of France". Of course there is nothing else inside but the note. Does anyone know if these have any worth if they are antique books being used?

Anonymous said...

I just made one out of a massive biology text book. It took me 4 hours total. I sped it up alot by using a 8 mm drill on all the corners. This saved the carefull corner cutting I had been doing before. Tomorrow I will try doing an entire book using a router.

Anonymous said...

"I just made one out of a massive biology text book..."
What?!?! You could re-sell that to your campus bookstore and earn a couple of bucks at the least! ;-)

"Tomorrow I will try doing an entire book using a router."
How about a chainsaw? ;-P

Anonymous said...

If you use rubbing alcohol instead of water in your glue solution, it will evaporate quicker and neater.

Anonymous said...

Kool. Still working on mine, grrr the stupid corners are having issues. Now I can put a pistol in there like V for Vendetta. I am 12, and I am doing it, so obviously its pretty easy.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to try this with both my College Dictionary and my A+ Certification Exam Guide; both of which will never be used as reading material again anyways.

And who says that you don't get anything from going to college? I got two books that'll make great hide-n-seek places to stash 'things'. ^__^

Anonymous said...

THIS DOCUMENT IS IN VIOLATION OF COPYRIGHT LAWS FROM WIKIHOW.COM SO YOU DIDN'T EVEN MAKE THIS UP THE PERSON WHO POSTED THIS

How To Do Stuff said...

You are referrig to this article. It's not in violation of copyright laws. They copied it from us. Read the credits

Anonymous said...

I think that is a really cool idea. i just need to find a good book to do it with. got any ideas?¿


i will probably find a cheep thick book

Anonymous said...

Maby I could steal a book from my sister. Wait that wont work she will find it and take it... dangiy :(

Anonymous said...

I am SOOOO hollowing out a bible as I read this for the third time. HECK YES! "It's in the hands of GOD!"

Muah ha ha ha ha

Anonymous said...

my tip is to take a book out of a series on your shelf, especially if they all have the same style cover or design. but you must remember which one it is ;)

Anonymous said...

This is F****** Awesome You F****** Genious!



F****** AWESOME

Anonymous said...

that is vey cool great instrutions A++++++

Anonymous said...

VERY GOOD except the fact it takes hours upon days upon days im having lots of trouble with this any suggestions? I have changed the razor on several occasions to be sure its as sharp as possible but takes along time!





141 pages of 456!!!

Anonymous said...

" Posted by Andy | 10:17 PM

Nice article. And it is true, there is nothing new under the sun.
I did this to a book I didn't particularly like about 30 years ago!!!.
And yes, I used white glue back then. I did not glue the outside though. Only the inside. Looks a little more authentic perhaps."



I LOVE HIS EMPHASIS ON 30 years ago yet when you click his name on his profile he says hes a college student the age of 21!!!!!!! AHAHAHHAAHAHAH

Anonymous said...

I did a gun-in-the-book 15 or so years ago with my grandfather's old Colt Police Positve. Trace the gun for an exact fit. With so much detail it takes many, many hours to do. I did it over the course of a year or so, whenever the mood struck me. The result will dazzle if you do it with precision. Also hides your gun from sticky fingers.

Anonymous said...

great place to stash some pot man, thanks!

Anonymous said...

great place to stash some pot man, thanks!

Anonymous said...

i know a better way to glue it. use spray glue. it works really good.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to do this to a copy of War and Peace (I did actually want it but I didn't realise it was only Volume Two of Three) and Stash all my Loose Change, valuable Nick-Nacks, Banknotes and 'Secret' things inside it.

Anonymous said...

I had the idea to make one of these this weekend and bought a couple of books for a buck at a used book store. One book is really interesting looking with a creepy looking crow on the front so I cut the inside in the silhouette of a flying bird. It's not the best for hiding things since it's so cool looking but it was fun regardless. The other book is called freedom in the modern world and I'm going to cut it in the shape of a pistol and then put a picture of the gun in the bottom of the hole. My own brand of freedom. One thing to note is that you should look up any old books on the web before you cut them because they may actually be worth something. I've bought a couple at Goodwill for a quarter that were worth thirty dollars.

Anonymous said...

It wood be better if you saved some pages from the bottom, glue 'em together, and cover what you have in there. Then it would be like a double secret hiding place...

Anonymous said...

First time a saw this it was in the terrorist handbook. Back then terrorist were still the good guys....
they were recommanding it to carry stuff with you on an airplane.

You keep the first 100 page or so and the 100 last one, so you can apears to read it while you wait.

But this dont work anymore, damm X-ray

Anonymous said...

awesome im makin 1 rite now im waitin for my glue to dry. great idea i love this site!

Anonymous said...

I've got a copy of Farenheit 451 somewhere, the irony kinda floats my boat

Anonymous said...

I used last year's edition of Physician's Desk Reference. Easily hidden in a pharmacy school student's apartment.

Anonymous said...

use the bible, its
a) stereotypical
b) classy
c) good, because no-one who is sane will actually read it out of free will
d) often in the movies.

Anonymous said...

this is a awsome idea.

Anonymous said...

SOMEONE WOULD DARE CUT UP HARRY POTTER!?!?!

ok, now that i have that out of my system..

i find that some dollar stores carry very large, very useless hardcover books. i also discovered that if you have the time, (or a hacksaw), these make great gifts.... fill them up with little gifts, candy, etc. ppl love it!

(do not do that if you give it to someone easily offended by the destruction of books...oops.)

Anonymous said...

i was thinking of makeing on of the books but wouldent the pages be sticky after a few days?

Anonymous said...

Instead of ruining one of my books I can use one of my ancient hardbound journals from the days when I REALLY had secrets to hide. My only exception would be any book by Emily Post and/or Miss Manners.

Anonymous said...

I found a site that gives these away for free. Forget doing one yourself.
Free Hollow Books.com

Anonymous said...

Yo bibles work the best :D give or take about 200 pages at the starting and 200 pages at the ending and it gives you still about 2000 pages to cut and that way it stil looks good

Anonymous said...

i toused a copy of harry potter goblet of fire. the extra space was great

Anonymous said...

lol, I did this to my high school health book. guess whats hidden inside? :D

Anonymous said...

Free Hollow Books.com charges $12.95 for shipping and handling. Doesn't seem "free" to me.

Anonymous said...

A library near us was surplussing books, so I picked up a copy of "The Family, the real story of the bush dynasty". It still has all of the library tags on it (i.e. dewiedecimal number and "14 day loan" sticker) So not only is it a book no one will read and no one feels bad cutting up, the fact it is a "library" book makes it even less suspicious. I'm putting my iPod in it. :)

Anonymous said...

I am making a hollow book right now out of one of those unabridged dictionaries. It is 3 1/2 inches thick and the cover is about 12x9 1/2 inches. I plan on this taking a long time but it will be well worth it.

Anonymous said...

why the hell would you hide a lighter...... and marbles

Anonymous said...

I'm going to use a 272+ page Lord of the Rings book which i read and don't understand.

Anonymous said...

this is really cool. cept i dnt havea box cutter. so i used a razor. it came out so sloppy >.< but actually it wasnt that bad now i stash cigarettes in "scarlett..sequel to gone with the wind" one day my freind came over. and he wanted to borrow a book for english. guess which one he grabbed? he didnt even look inside..he just took it. next day in english (we sit together) we had to start reading in class. holy shit. teacher wasnt very happy. but shes cool as fcuk (always covers for us "crazy kids") so nothing happened. but it made my heart stop fora sec.

Anonymous said...

I plan on using my cut up book as a case to safely transport my eBook reader. Thanks guys!

Anonymous said...

well i tryed but it took me a long ass time so i just beat up the book and trowe it away

Anonymous said...

Does this work with magazines too?

Anonymous said...

Does this work with magazines too?

Anonymous said...

YOu see, our school's going though a major outbreak of thefts.
I plan on makeing a couple of these to see if they help me bypass these incedental cases.

Thanks for the tut. I really appreciate it.
:]

Anonymous said...

The problem with my forst one is that I did two coats of glue/water solution that was too watery.
I picked up on that soon afterwards, so my pages are really wavy now.

Just a tip.

Nancy Poh said...

Great job! I have been collecting free tutorials because I want to encourage others to make use of materials that would otherwise be discarded.

I hope you do not mind my linking it to my blog at this link.

http://greenbeingnancy.blogspot.com/2007/04/books-torn-beyond-repair-good.html

Pls keep this going.

Anonymous said...

Using a bible is a bad idea. That's the first place a thief will look. It's the most common book for people to hide money in.

Kyra said...

I'm in the middle of doing one now (in a bible ;-)) and I think that the first page is left separate both cos of the pencilling, and cos it gets messy ;) Well, it is for me, but then I'm not the most patient of people. My first piece of paper has glue all over it, and the things I've used to separate the glued pages from the others is partly stuck in the glue. It wouldn't look very good if I hadn't saved a page :-D

Anonymous said...

It's probably not a great idea to use magnets to lock the book if you plan on storing things like a cell phone, credit cards, hotel keys, floppy disks (if anyone still uses these as opposed to flash drives), etc...

Anonymous said...

this really worked and now i use it to hide stuff like my ipod and gold coins from my cleaning lady. I ended up doing it a little differently then it stated. it doesnt turn out as neat as in the pictures so i used a dremil sanding bit to smooth the edges then used pure elmers glue buy pressed it in pretty hard. i then drilled a small hole which i inserted a magnet to hold it closed.

Anonymous said...

i'm so psyched to make myself one of these!!...i can't seem to decide whether to use a stephen king,or a book out of a set of encyclopedias; i may end up using both! =D
oh, and everyone recycle the paper you cut out of these books PLEASE AND THANK YOU =]

Anonymous said...

i used q-tips instead of a brush to apply glue to the pages. it worked very well. good subsitute for brush.

Thursday said...

Finally!

A use for "Atlas Shrugged"!

Damn thing's too thick for my fireplace...

8)

Avery said...

Ha! "Atlas Shrugged" is perfect for this project, nobody will ever think to look inside!

Anonymous said...

i just made this it is great

Anonymous said...

Yeah i think a blog post with just lotsa photos of that HDD platter would rock. From different angles/angels (sp?) and back grounds. Perhaps the HDD platters could do more then just add weight to a book glue time. Perhaps it could be shown saving a cat from a tree and a child from a burning building, and helping an old lady cross the road. Ok, maybe i just think the HDD Platter is sexy... SO WHAT!?

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

IMMENSE IDEA!!!
IM MAKING ONE!!!
Thanks for the people who's comments about this made me laugh =]
it made my day!

Anonymous said...

Atlas Shrugged is a fantastic life-altering book and you are a small-minded smug little self-righteous idiot to suggest cutting it up.

I'll look for a copy of 'Dianetics' laying around somewhere. It'll also be an act of community service to take it out of circulation so lesser minds won't read it and actually believe that Scientology cult shit.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't cut up a bible for 2 reasons:

1. There will come a point in your life when you will need it, or wish you still had it.

2. My bible, one that I really liked a lot was stolen. Can you believe that someone actually smashed my car window just to get my bible?...

Anonymous said...

I recently acquired a set of outdated encyclopedias form a local auction house that was planning to throw them out. I'm going to take this idea, and a few other suggestions like watering the glue down with rubbing alcohol to make the process better. I also have a Dremmel that has a bit suited for this task.

If people are looking for books, I have a few suggestions.

1) College Bookstore Dumpsters In college towns, occasionally bookstores will throw out outdated textbooks. Usually professors go out to retrieve them, but why can't you too? Note, however, this retrieval in some locals is considered illegal/trespass.

2) Dorm Dumpsters In keeping with the spirit of college towns, there's usually a day before school ends that marks the trash season. College students, being the wonderfully bright folk they are, throw away some amazingly thick books.

3) Used bookstores A lot of old, thick, and large books can be easily procured for prices less that $5. Beets the free ones (where you have to pay $12 for S&H)

4) Garage Sales I find many books that way, especially dictionaries and condensed readers, like from Reader's Digest.

5) Estate/Auctions Sales Buy a book lot. But check them first. Some might already be hollowed. A few might actually be worth something.

6) Libraries Sometimes libraries have used book sales. Some sell by the book, other's sell by gross weight.

Books to avoid would be the Bible (too easy to guess), books that look attractive (Lolita), books that look too old or worth something (antiques and first editions), books that are popular (Harry Potter) and books you'll actually use (like a modern dictionary).

Anonymous said...

I did this with a copy of the Koran. It worked great! Plus, I took the pages that I cut out and used them to line the bottom of my parrot's cage. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Anonymous said...

I GOT LUCKY and came up with an awesome idea that worked! I went to a local thrift store and bought a book called "Encyclopedia of Tropical Fish" for $2. It literally has over 2000 pages!I didn't cut it up very well but it's very good for holding my zune. I followed the original instructions then cut into the hollowed out part a second time. then i cut a small part to let my headphones go out. If anyone asks, i'll tell them it's an audio book.

Anonymous said...

i just did two of these.... but it was very dificult to cut and make it look nice... i saw people sying something about a dremmel or something like that... does anyone know any quick/easier ideas.... email me at felix_birman@yahoo.com or IM me at kgb4789 (thats an AIM sn)

thanks

Anonymous said...

hey you used a redwall book.its the same one im using

Anonymous said...

hey im in the process of doing it... i cant keep the inside corners clean, like its all bunched paper and i cant cut through it... any techniques?...

Anonymous said...

actually something even cheaper and a more secure and even more obscure place to hide ANYTHING is in a bag of kitty litter. place your valuables or what-not in a "freezer type" ziploc bag and stick it down in a bag of kitty litter. just take a coffee can and dig out some kitty litter, lay your bag of valuables in the bag and pour the kitty litter out of the coffee can into the kitty litter bag and VIOLA! even if a theif does look in there all he'll see if litter. seriously how many times do theives steal kitty litter? plus even if you have a cat or not a bag of kitty litter in the garage, shed, basement, or even trunk of your car will look perfectly innocent to those who don't know it's true secrets...only you will. if you do have (a) cat(s) then do something to the bag to make it more noticeable to you, like stand it right side up, or only buy the plastic container of kitty litter and use the bagged kitty litter for your valuables.

Anonymous said...

A few tips... use spray glue to seal the outside pages, works excellent and you dont get that soggy look. Even if you shred the insides, dont worry, use a sanding bit from your drill to smooth it out.

Anonymous said...

Omg i just got the perfect book and I havent even read it yet!Harry APotter and The Deathly Hallows will work great for this...thanks for the idea!

Anonymous said...

I'm about to do this. The great thing is that my local library sells books for 25 cents on this one shelf. I just got four fairly thick hardbacks for $1. I'll probably share once I finish the project.

Anonymous said...

So I made the last post here saying I was about to do this. Here's the results I had. I did a 1000 page book which took me a couple nights and I found the corners were a bit tricky but it all came out a lot better than I thought it would.

http://www.shroomery.org/forums/files/07-30/538598787-cover.jpg
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/files/07-30/538598796-inside.jpg

Anonymous said...

the Koran comment is great. Gotta go get me a copy. I was at the thrift store today and I scoured the place for a copy.

Think I'll use some of the pages for toilet paper too. Just want to show my respect for the good ol' Religion O' Peace.

Anonymous said...

I think I am gonna give a bunch of these for Christmas this year, with gifts and stuff inside. This is a great idea that doesn't cost much. People are gonna love it!

I noticed that where I am Thrift stores charge about 2 bucks for the majority of the hardbacks. I got an individual encyclopedia book for a dollar. I guess they figured someone might actually read a 'Danielle Steele' novel or some junk like that. On the other hand, I don't want to be mistaken for an idiot that would have that on their bookshelf as a real book!!

I would've preferred like some kinda boring political autobiography or something just for laughs, ha ha the koran that's funny. If I see one it's a goner, definitely!

I did look at a Bible, not that I would use it, but I don't recommend a book like that because the pages are really super-thin. Also some books that are too old have pages that have changed chemistry - probably not a prospect for this.

Anonymous said...

FYI: a tarot deck fits perfectly into one of these books.

I made one of these back in high school and lined it with some soft flannel material so I didn't have the ugly cut edges of the paper (I used a dull knife--what do you want? I was 16) and it was a nice touch. I also wrote notes into the pages I'd left behind, as if I'd actually READ it and appreciate it's value... my parents never found my stash of cigs and other smokables either.

Anonymous said...

Didn't read all the comments so apologies if this has been mentioned already. When I do this, I use a small drill to drill down through the glued pages at each corner. I find this makes cutting the pages out a little easier...

Anonymous said...

heres another idea, make the first whole, not all they through, then cut a smaller whole a couple pages after that, put really important shit in the second whole and something you might try to hide but don't really care about (fake diary, picuters, etc)

Anonymous said...

I took a stack of cards, glued 'em, and hollowed them out. then i took all of the plastic off of my cell and put it in the card stack. Now it looks like a stack of cards but is really a flip phone. It was so hard to cut all of that cardboard though.

Anonymous said...

yeah, this hella works. i hide my weed in a lemony snicket book. . .haha.

Anonymous said...

y do u hav to do tht thing by levain 1 page 2 stick to the top then cut it owt???

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I JUST MADE ONE!!!!!!!!!!!- Out of a free library book i found at my high school man!!! looks fricken awsome, takes about 2 days to make :p kicks some major ass!!!!!!!!!! by the way the person that posted that comment about trying this with a harry potter book, especially the NEW one I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL YOU HARRY POTTER KILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR EVIL AND WILL NEVER GET A GUY/GIRL BECAUSE YOU KILLED HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!! KILLER!!!!!!!!

Enyway awsome book, cant keep it a secret thou :p parents found out i was doin it...so cant store my special "stuff" in there. But i can store money in there that im savin up :p

Enyway Thx :D

P.S.: Makin a new one tats thicker :D hope it works, Wish me luck ^^

Anonymous said...

i really see know need to dillute the glue it works just as well and doesnt take and hour and a half to dry

Anonymous said...

this post and comments have given me some great ideas and some have worked well like this...

1)harry potter books varry from thikness and volume the best one for storing longer than normal items is the half blood prince, goblet of fire is best for holding a cartin of cigs and a few lighters and if u are looking to hide them from perents (it only works if they dont read harry potter books because i noticed that ppl tend to re-read them)

2) instead of leaving 1 extra page leave 3 un glued and when ready to finish cut a small magnet sized hols and place one in there u can glue itin place but i would let it air sry b4 placing the remaning pages over it i suggest tracing the magnet tho it will b a verry tight fit between the eddge of the paper also u can the magnets in the corners for a more secure hold

3) i have notices in almost every book there is a page that is attached to the hard back that if u carefully peel back, where u want magnets to b placed in the pages (not all the way i cant stress that enough because u will loose the alignment of the page on the hardback and it will look sloppy) now the hard part place a small layer of glue on the hardback and place some powdered metal, this can b bought from most local hardware stores but i advise against it because i hear it is used in homemade bombs, anyway back to the subject powder it lightly the ammound depends on how thick the paper is how u want it to look and how strong ur magnet is.smoth oit out as best as u can and place some wax paper inbetween the hardback and the rest of the book and place weight on the book leave it for 15 mins max u used little glue so it should dry fast in less than 7 mins but i would wait 15 mins for good measure, when done u should have a ordenary looking hollowed out book but it has magnet(s) in it to keep the cover closed

note: the magnet wont keep the book shut if it falls from a shelf higher than 4ft or higher it may come open from a less distance if it lands on a corner, u can etch away at the hardback after u peeled away the paper but i didnt because of fear if pericing the cover of the bookcover

i hope this is helpful if u want that extra gratification in making a hollow book u should try it though u should try to make 1 other hollow book b4 attempting to familarize urself with the steps because this book will take a dew days or weeks if u live with ur perents

Anonymous said...

oh and u might wana get a book printed in a different language than is most common in ur part of the world because y is someone going to pick a book up that they cant read other than to make a hollow book or to burn it???

p.s. my friend said min kamph (hittlers autobiography) works well

Anonymous said...

This is a good idea. Im going to try to make this.

Anonymous said...

ok i finished my thick book and it took me about 5 days to make all i need to do which i still havent done since i was done with it...is i need to glue the inside but maybe later...im currently cleaning my room and we all know that takes weeks..to..do..or does it? lol..enyway it holds all my lighters about 12 and a few packs of ciggerettes if you want to hold little shit just get a cardboard pencil thing the thing like 12 pencils get in you know..the um...Ticonideroga really good pencil by the way enyway i used the book ANNAPOLIS somthin i bought at a library sale :) 50 cents!! plus i still think ENYBODY THAT CUTS UP A FREAKIN HARRY POTTER BOOK IS A MORON BECAUSE THATS THE BEST BOOK IN THE WORLS AND I HOPE YOU GO TO HELL! and enyway i can hold some OTHER smokeables in there too :) plus i read alot so i have a crapload of books so it blends in well :)

Anonymous said...

Could you leave a 1/4" margin that you dont glue and then go in 1" or whatever from the glue, so the book looks a little more bookish rather than solid, since pages flop around and stuff? Or would that make it crap for hiding... crap???

Anonymous said...

I used a sawsall. Takes some practice but you can cut an exact line.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't cut up a bible for 2 reasons:

1. There will come a point in your life when you will need it, or wish you still had it.

2. My bible, one that I really liked a lot was stolen. Can you believe that someone actually smashed my car window just to get my bible?...




Heh, this one time, I was walking along the street and saw some sap left a bible in his car, so I smashed the window, grabbed it, and made a stash book out of it!

Anonymous said...

i have done this with 2 books, both of which are a history of michael jackson (realy) i also did the same with a stack of old golf mags, the mags are a bir harder to do this but if you just happen to have a glue spray gun, it makes it alot easier to glue the inside nicely

Anonymous said...

well i have to make one of these and i think ill use sumtin like "Great Expectations" because i hate that book with a passion...cutting it up will make me fell good about wasting my time reading it...

Anonymous said...

One of the most fun and beautifully written posts for the last time, thank you.

If interested, can visit the blog with useful information on Pennsylvania Home Insurance.

Anonymous said...

FINALLY!!!a use for those old useless aaa books

Anonymous said...

So if I use a dremel tool, what bit would I use? I have three books and I have two days to do them. :)

BroTee said...

Great article and wonderful idea. I am going to try this out.

Anonymous said...

i haven't read all the posts, so i don't know if this was said already. But you could also use this to hide your ipod or mp3 player when you are in school and you want to listen to it or view it while in class. It will look like you are reading.

-Drew Lunzman

Anonymous said...

I used an old beat up math book from high school. Works great it has 800 plus pages and enough room for 9 CDs 3 jump drives, and porn mags :)

Anonymous said...

i tryed this but it came out that the pages were all frayed and when i closed it the top pages were all like folded and crap

Anonymous said...

You know what i used instead of glue and water... Podge, you can pick it up at a craft store, it works great.

«Oldest ‹Older   1 – 200 of 606   Newer› Newest»