Books as tools for Mixed media printmaking

I just gathered my new stack of old books from the Haverhill Public Library book sale. $5.00 gets me a pile of books that can be used for:

• altered books
• stamping tools
• black out poems
• print paper

I look for old books with

• interesting covers
• cool illustrations
• big print
• raised details

I curled the pages of a text block and made a stamping tool to be used with the gelatin and glycerin printing plate. This was just a quick test print, but I think there is some potential here.

What do you think? Would you use books as art materials or are they too precious?