1,240-page dictionary uses Googled images instead of words

21 hrs.

Devin Coldewey

It may not be the best use of paper, but this unique?dictionary certainly is an interesting crossover of the digital with the analog. Two London designers, Ben West and Felix Heyes, decided to create a dictionary that has, instead of 21,000 words you'd normally find inside a common desk dictionary, the first image that shows up when you Google those words.

The result is "Google,"?an enormous 1,240-page book with every word represented by an image and printed out in order. The two did it by running some scripts that would automatically search for a word, download the first image, and place it in the book's layout. They then printed that out as the hardcover edition you see, complete with marbled cover and thumb indentations for each?letter.

Theoretically, it could be done again and again with different images coming up?as the Google results shift ? but considering the copyright implications (they didn't ask the image owners or Google for permission) and the amount of work involved in exporting and binding the pages, it's unlikely the book will ever see more than a limited release.

And since they didn't edit the results for relevance or appropriateness, it's a bit of a mixed bag content-wise. West tells Creave Applications:?"I would estimate about half of the book is revolting medical photos, porn, racism or bad cartoons."?So perhaps not a good candidate for your coffee table.

Take a peek inside the book in this video, and visit the creators' sites for more information.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

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