Viewers of Good as Gold by Donald Lipski might consider the abstrusity of books drilled with holes placed on an eight foot tall round steel form. Upon further observation however, the commanding work might be interpreted as a literal representation of the portal through which readers travel to alternate worlds via books. Most of the books included in the work were sourced from a Bridgehampton, New York Book Barn, but Lipski incorporated withdrawn items from The Kansas City Public Library’s collection as well. Each book was selected based on size, color, and subject matter. Lipski attributes the title to author Joseph Heller’s novel “Good as Gold”.

Lipski's use of books as an artistic medium has a long history. Later in his career, he reached a point where he decided to focus on books alone as the raw material. Expressing a fascination with the paradoxical nature of these sculptures, Lipski enjoys the juxtaposition between the fragility of individual books and the enormity of weight in a completed piece.