A 1,250-Foot Tall DIY Lamp for Your Desktop

OK, so the final lamp is really only two feet tall, but it's modeled after a modern architectural wonder—the skyscraper. Actually, It's Amazing! Four Extraordinary Skyscrapers by Edwin Kiester is a great little bargain book from Barnes & Noble that doubles as a DIY lamp kit.

Each of the lamp’s four faces depicts a photograph of a landmark skyscraper: The Empire State Building, Transamerica Pyramid, Petronas Tower, and Bank of China. Sixty-four interlocking cards are joined together for constructing your desktop skyscraper. The now empty “book” box becomes the base for the included electrical lamp socket. Then clever little punch-outs aligned with windows let light from the internal incandescent lamp shine out and illuminated your cubicle’s visitors. It's Amazing! Four Extraordinary Skyscrapers retails for $7.98 from Barnesandnoble.com. —Dave Prochnow