These days, books, like CDs and adopted children from war-torn nations, are collector's items for those who can afford them. Well, the current exhibit at New York's Center for Book Arts supports that idea anyway. "Artist as Publisher" isn't a gallery of art so much as a gallery of art publications. Skewing towards experimental work, the show examines the role of publications in the lives and careers of artists who have made a name for themselves, initially not through high-profile exhibitions but through independent publication -- an easier and more effective method of disseminating artwork.

But the gallery takes things a step further than just a specialized Barnes & Noble. Working with the museum's curators, the artists are divided into three times to set up as many reading rooms, so these publications function more as features of a larger, interactive installation. Paul McCarthy, Patricia Valencia, and Amir H. Fallah are just some of innumerable artists whose books are on display. "Artist as Publisher" closes September 13.