Yesterday, National Public Radio had an interview with artist Caitlin Phillips who makes purses out of discarded books.

Like most of us, Phillips was hesitant initially to cut books apart. But a job in a used bookstore opened her eyes to the huge numbers of out-of-date and damaged books that end up in dumpsters every year.

"It kills me to throw anything away," Phillips says, "and throwing a book away just seems like the worst thing ever."

Recyling books into art isn't...