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    Please enjoy this selection of deranged literary stock photos.

    Emily Temple

    June 6, 2023, 10:31am

    Not infrequently, in the course of my work here at Literary Hub, I find myself scouring through Adobe Stock Photos, looking for images to use or adapt. Luckily, there are plenty of cool and useful literary stock photos and illustrations in the Adobe library. There are also some deeply deranged ones. Here are some of my favorites from the latter category, but please attach your own in the comments. After all, we deserve a little joy:

    Looks like rain, but all will be well if I can just run in my business suit up those books and into the magic billboard portal!

    Oh no, I made it through the magic billboard portal and inside there were just more books.

    Whew. All that running around on floating books sure does wear a guy out.

    “Wake up, Harry. Welcome to your new home.”

    “Where we all live in peace and harmony and computer generated books.”

    As you do.

    Don’t look now, it’s the manuscript thief!

    There are a surprising number of variations on this theme.

    Don’t laugh; a robot writing with a pen on a laptop on a coffin in an old library is the future, if all these op-eds about AI are to believed.

    Just relaxing at home with a book!

    How can I read all my books with these chains around my wrists???

    Different day, different aggravation.

    Oh wait, he solved it.

    The books-as-staircase is a whole thing in stock photos. But should we be quite so happy about this doorway to infinite nothingness?

    Also a thing: eating books in anger.

    Sure, okay.

    “Poet”

    Bite your tongue, stock photo.

    If only she could get it to fit…

    I don’t know what this graphic is trying to tell me, but I’m pretty sure it’s a lie.

    Surely, considering the proportions, you do not need that magnifying glass, sir.

    The description for this image is: “Angry business man with an old-fashioned typewriter gesturing with his hands as he vents his frustration with text Grrr and skull as he struggles to be creative in his writing.” Which, relatable.

    For veteran readers only.

    “I found it! The way down!”

    I’m probably too concerned about this poor man’s right hand.

    Watch out for that office chair!

    There were a few underwater options, but the raven really clinched this one for me.

    But why, one wonders?

    What could be more deranged than this???

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