How to Hide Things in a Book

You can make a hollow book for hiding large items inside of a book but what about the simple act of hiding slim items such as money, secret notes, or printed information inside a book? Is it safe and reliable? It is, provided you are...

Table of Contents

Small hideaway compartment
Large hideaway compartment

Method 1 of 2:

Small hideaway compartment

Choose a good book. The following requirements are essential:
1. The book must be thick to make it harder to spot anything stuffed into it.
2. It should be inconspicuous. Choose a book that belongs on the shelf amid other books; don't choose one that looks obviously out of place.
3. Spacious and of adequate size to conceal your goodies. You could hollow out a book but that's more work and is often noticeable. If you're just looking to hide flat things, a normal book works just fine.
Find a good placement inside the chosen book. Try to put your stash about 3 quarters of the way into the book. People will see it in the middle and it'll fall out if it's in the end. And the beginning is just too obvious.
Remove any signs of disturbance around the shelf. If you have disturbed any dust or fluff bunnies in doing this, you'll just have to clean the whole shelf or else it will look obvious.
Remember the book. Work out a way for reminding yourself which book or books you have chosen to hide things in. If you own a lot of books, it is not unknown to forget where you hid that "money for a rainy day", only to have a pleasant surprise many years later!

Method 2 of 2:

Large hideaway compartment

This method is more useful if you have a bit more voluminous stuff to hide, like a diary.

Find a thick and very large book that you won't ever want to read again. Hardcover is your best bet and old encyclopedias, reference manuals and your old college textbooks can come in handy here. You'll also need a pen, an exacto knife and glue for this.
1. If you can't find a large book at home, try the thrift store or a used book store. Or, ask for one via a site like Freecycle.
2. If you are hiding a diary inside it, measure the ability of the book to cope with this object before cutting it.
Open the book. Flip over the first 20-40 pages or so, depending how much room you want inside the book.
Draw a rectangular shape on the next page from the ones flipped over. Make it the size you want, leaving an inch (2.5cm) allowance as borders around the hole space, or it will look too obvious when completed.
Carefully cut out the rectangular hole with the Exacto knife. Repeat the last two steps if your book is particularly thick.
With the hole now in the book, use an old painting brush to start coating the inside edges of the hole with glue. The pages of the book will then stick together and form strong walls for the hideaway compartment. Also apply glue to the backside (either the back cover or one of the remaining pages of the back). This will make a box, and your things won't fall out quite so easily.
Weight the book down with a few heavy books. These will press the glued pages together. Set aside and let it dry.
Fill with your goodies. You now have a secret compartment where you can hide your special stuff. Snap the book shut and put it away in the bookshelf for safekeeping.

Kareem Winters

Update 24 March 2020

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