A book safe sounds crafty, if not entirely secure, until you realize: most of them are mass-produced, using the same book (or books) over and over again as their basis – and worse yet, the same recognizable styles and volumes. The solution is simple, and one company has executed it: collect various common and rare (real) books, hollow them out and leave a hidden compartment within.

Not enough room inside a single (thick) book to suit your needs? They can be stacked, too, and then cut together to create a larger void space in the middle. The creative and innovative aspect of this approach is not related to a new direction in design per se, but rather to exploring all of the possible iterations and combinations of a simple idea.

Of course, this kind of project can be done by an individual too – a fun do-it-yourself project of sorts – but if so: be careful of warping, tearing and so forth if you choose to go that route. SecretStorageBooks dips pages into a non-toxic glue compound, adds rigid clamps to help hold the shape while it cures, then carefully cut the pages using precision tools.

Whether you try this at home or order one online, the beauty of these is self-evident: you get to have a genuine aged book, chosen specifically to camouflage with your own collection and blend in on your shelves. Other neat features of this particular outfit: the ability to send in a worn-and-torn used copy of your favorite volume, upload your own sleeves to personalize a book (or create a unique kind of gift box), or select a special custom shape to fit a specific object.