On my last trip to IKEA, I was able to pick up the store’s last two copies of the US version of the BILLY book – published for BILLY’s 30th Birthday in October 2009 (pictured above) – I think I’ll be giving one away so stay tuned! It’s a lovely book, with a fully history of the BILLY bookcase as well as a brief history of time …well, the last thirty years, at least. See pictures of the BILLY Book in German after the jump!

Got me to thinking about other books about IKEA and led me to create my first Wish List on Amazon. Find out which book is out of print, which one I REALLY want, and which one seems to be outrageously overpriced. Oh, and feel free to send me any of the books on my list if you’re so inclined. ;)

IKEA Book Wish List

I’ve got three books on my IKEA Book Wish List. I’ll list them in descending order of desirability.

Great IKEA: A Brand for All the People

This unauthorized look at IKEA by Elen Lewis, ‘examines IKEA language and Swedish provenance as a branding technique.’ It’s only got a few reviews, but then it’s only been out since July of 2008. The price of only $10.17 has this at the top of my list!

The Book of Home Design Using IKEA Home Furnishings

The Book of Home Design Using IKEA Home Furnishings has four stars on Amazon and eight customer reviews. From one review, which seems hardly from just a ‘customer’, “Beautifully illustrated and chockful of design ideas, “The Book of Home Design Using IKEA Home Furnishings” is both an inspiring and informative reference for anyone decorating and furnishing a home on a limited budget.”

Published in 1995 and out of print, I found this book available on eBay.com, but went ahead and put it on my wish list anyway. A girl can have dreams, eh?

Leading By Design: The IKEA Story

By Ingvar Kamprad himself, along with biographer Bertil Torekull wrote and published in 1999, this book is really more of a biography of Ingvar than the story of IKEA. According to reviews, it’s anything from ‘repetitive and monotonous’ to ‘you really get a complete and a invaluable picture of THE IKEA WAY.’

It’s currently going for $99 on Amazon, virtually guaranteeing I will never own a copy.  Now is that The IKEA Way?

IKEA BILLY Book

IKEA’s BILLY Book in German was published for the 30th Birthday of the Billy Bookcase. Visually beautiful, but file this one under I don’t understand a thing they’re saying. Still, I want it.

Pictures via stilsucht.de

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 3:09 AM by Susan and is filed under IKEA Furniture, IKEA Marketing, Product Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.