Founded in 2022 and based in Los Angeles, AUTO Books is equal parts rare bookshop, literary archive, sculptural intervention, and traveling salon—all housed in the trunk of a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 380SL. Almost every week AUTO Books moves through the city bringing independently published works with a focus on art, photography, poetry, experimental writing, and underrepresented literary voices to various urban neighborhoods where it is parked. The selection of titles ranges from out-of-print collections and contemporary chapbooks to artist books and hybrid literary forms.
The trunk of a 1984 Mercedes serves as a bookshop and traveling salon. (Credit: Cody Marquez via BFA.com)
The concept took shape after Matthew and Sarah Taylor-Winch, the owners and curators of AUTO Books, had a chance encounter with Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, who was drawn to their car’s license plate: “NOART.” What began as a spontaneous conversation about art and bookmaking evolved into “an impromptu portrait session, with Cattelan reclining across the car, entirely undirected,” Matthew Taylor-Winch says. “That serendipitous moment became a conceptual through-line—a blending of literature, art, and public space. It gave us the spark and the nerve to launch AUTO Books.” He adds that the mobile model comes with both logistical and metaphorical benefits: “As AUTO Books gains more fans and opportunities to present in different locations and spaces, we’ve realized that the strength of the project lies in its impermanence,” Taylor-Winch says. “In a city like Los Angeles, where brick-and-mortar retail comes with high overhead, being mobile allows us to stay agile, reaching new audiences without being tied to a fixed location.”
Committed to the notion that books serve as cultural infrastructure, AUTO Books takes inspiration from the writers whose work it carries, many of whom come from DIY, independent, or small press contexts. In addition to curating books for the physical bookshop, AUTO Books has started to publish online lists of artists’ favorite books at aut0books.com through a digital edition called AUTO Focus. In today’s world the emphasis on convenience “removes all the magic of walking into a bookstore and discovering something unexpected,” Taylor-Winch says. “I really like the idea of books finding people.” To learn where the car will pop up next, follow AUTO Books on Instagram, @aut0books.
