...an unhappy hour leads to a death purse-- literally...

Book purse with my fella's RUSH lunchbox because he was a "Working Man" :p

Where was my intervention? Thanks a lot, Blogosphere. You all are a bunch of enablers! As B. Spears giggles (because goth bloggers don’t cite her enough), “Ooops, I did it again.”

I like books. I like books as décor. I like supporting art. Book purses become my weakness and when I saw this one, I did not pass Go; I did not collect $200. I clicked Add to Cart and then bought it as soon as I could… eventhough this makes book purse #4. I wouldn’t even PIN this sucker on Pinterest before it was officially mine! I’m not ashamed! After all, this is a modified version of The Oxford Book of the Death.

The book description:

The inescapable reality of death has given rise to much of literature's most profound and moving work. D.J. Enright's wonderfully eclectic selection presents the words of poet and novelist, scientist and philosopher, mystic and sceptic. And alongside these "professional" writers, he allows the voices of ordinary people to be heard; for this is a subject on which there are no real experts and wisdom lies in many unexpected places.

The description of the purse by bibliobags:

This unique purse was crafted from a vintage 1987 copy of "The Oxford Book of Death." It features two different fabrics: Alexander Henry's black and white toile featuring dapper skeletons and a plum damask printed with white lacy skulls. I hand carved both black wooden handles with the initials "R.I.P." and roses to make them resemble tombstones. The zipper charm is a lovely skeletal cameo of a woman with a red rose in her hair.

The inside has two roomy pockets for phones, keys, etc. The fabric has been treated with a stain and water resistant spray.

I’m sorry but she had me at “Death.”

Since the purse arrived today during a thunderstorm (bwahaha), I haven’t actually used it except to place contents inside of it and parade around my house. Is it blue or black? Neither my fella nor I could determine the book cover’s exact color. We determined that it’s blue-black like my hair when it doesn’t have purple tint in it as it does now. The bag appears to be quite sturdy although the skeletal cameo wasn’t connected to the purse. At first I thought it was missing but I later found it in the bottom of the box. To be honest, I would have probably removed it anyway because zipper pulls usually get in the way more than they function in my opinion. I’ll use the cameo for something though because it’s cute but it gives the bag more of a whimsical air than I would prefer. We’re talking Death… Oxford style! This is serious, people!

Connie making friends!

So how did I find this little beauty? When Connie from Hartwood Roses and I were planning to attend last Thursday night’s Unhappy Hour in the Poe Museum's Enchanted Garden which included music by Teejay Johnson and the opening of the "Oblong Box" exhibit, I did a quick search to see what types of Poe book purses were available. I found one of Autumn’s (of bibliobags) bags which just happened to be sold… but then… BUT THEN… it was liked the stars had aligned. I mean, who would love this Death book purse more than me?!? Exactly. Now I’m officially in time-out… (whispers “for now”.) 

In an oblong box!

So I was asked, "of all my book purses which is my favorite?" Does a mother tell her children she favors one over another?!? They are all different and I love them just as I would any favorite child, *clears throat*, I mean handbag. Besides, as Autumn at bibliobags reminds us, "Every purse has a story."