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Traditionally, pop-ups have been seen as little more than children's books. In recent years, however, pop-up books have grown in prominence, chiefly due to the innovations of Robert Sabuda . Lindig The very first "pop-up" was a pyramid in one of Euclid's mathematical texts, illustrating how to figure angles. The 3-D aspect was his way of helping students understand his premises. So pop-ups didn't start out as children's items. See also Edward Tufte's book, ''Envisioning Information'' (published in 1990), where he reproduces Euclid's pop-up pyramid on page 16. The umbrella-term is Movable Books, under which come Pop-ups, Transformations, Tunnel books, Volvelles, Flaps, Pull-tabs, Pop-outs, Pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner. Even so-called Pop-up books often have various methods included. Ernest Nister, one of the early English children's book authors, often produced books solely of transformations. The Metropolitan Museum of Art reproduced many of these a few years ago and they are fairly common. These show a scene made up of vertical slats. By pulling a tab on the side, the slats slide under and over one another to "transform" into a totally different scene. I have a facsimile of an astronomy text that was produced in 1499, Astronomicus Caesarium, by Petro Appianus. It was made for the Holy Roman Emperor Charles. The book is full of nested volvelles, which are circular pieces revolving on grommets. I have a few tunnel books (also called peepshows), one on the English royal wedding and one of Gorey's Dwindling Party. These are made of two flat pieces of cardboard, holes in the middle of one, and concertina-folded paper connecting them. Scenes are painted on the rear cardboard, the inside of the paper tube, and sometimes items are placed in the eyeline. You raise the top board thereby extending the tube, and look through the hole at a 3-D scene. There's much more to the history of movable books. My own collection focuses on movables that would interest adults (lots of science, nature, humor, etc), and I now have over 700. Sabuda is a master, no question, and I collect him, too, but don't let the label of children's book stop you from enjoying the wit and beauty and expertise of all the others that are out there. lhh |
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