Pop-ups and Moveables, An Introduction
by Terry A. Stillman
One of the most interesting subjects, and a major field of book collecting today is pop-ups
and moveables. For the past one hundred and fifty years, children have been surprised and
thrilled to see a dynamic, three-dimensional scene pop-up before them upon lifting or
turning a page. Quite often, they can then pull a tab or move a lever to make characters move
or change the scene. Today, some pop-up books have the added features
of sound and lights, thanks to the aid of small implanted batteries.
Pop-up and moveable books come in all shapes and sizes. They may operate very simply
or have very complicated mechanisms (paper engineering as we call it today).
To me, the work of Julian Wehr and Voitech Kubasta are as interesting and
fascinating as many of the contemporary "paper engineers" , but there are also
legions of fans for the modern intricate creations as well. There is no
denying that people such as Keith Moseley, James Diaz, David Pelham and John Strejan
have created some outstanding pop-up configurations. Other contemporary names
are Jan Pienkowski and Robert Sabuda; Sabuda recently created a marvellous Wizard
of Oz pop-up book to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the first Oz book.
Even Maurice Sendak, an admired illustrator for six decades, has finally produced
his first pop-up book, "Mommy", with some help from author Arthur Yorinks and paper
engineer Matthew Reinhart.
As is the case with all books, and particularly children's books because they often receive
a lot of handling, condition is of utmost importance in building a collection. Your goal as a
collector, or if you plan on buying and selling pop-up books, should be to always buy the
best examples available. When you're purchasing modern pop-up books--let's say anything
published in the last twenty-five to thirty years, and mostly with resale values of less than
fifty dollars--only buy books in VG+ to Fine condition, most importantly with no damage
to pop-ups or moving parts. Pop-ups and moveables from the mid 1970's and before
can be purchased with minor mechanical problems if you feel they can be repaired. A
reattached arm or head or tab is acceptable in a book valued at $100 to $500, provided
there are no original pieces actually missing and the repair is done with glue and reinforced
with strips of paper or thin card (no tape!).
Some early names in pop-up books are:
. Thomas and George Dean (English), began creating "peep-show" books in
the 1850's and were apparently the first to invent the "tab" for moving characters
in their toy books in the 1860's;
. Lothar Meggendorfer (German, 1847-1925), who created perhaps the most
original moving books of the 1800's with lots of action on each page;
. Ernest Nister (German, 1842-1909), in 1877, he took over a lithographic business in
Nuremberg; in 1888, opened a branch in London, and in 1890 he began producing
elaborate, beautiful pop-up and moveable books;
. Raphael Tuck (German), 1821-1900), also known for outstanding postcards, he
and son Adolph produced many wonderful pop-up books from the 1870's through
to the early 1900's;
. Blue Ribbon Books and McLoughlin Brothers, New York, were the first
American firms to produce pop-up books;
. Julian Wehr (American, 1898-1970), designed over 30 moveable books in
the 1940's and 1950's;
. Voitech Kubasta (Czech, 1914-1992), designed and illustrated about 100
pop-up books for Artia, in Prague, from the early 1950's to the mid 1960's (these
books were published in English by Bancroft House in London).
Some early examples of pop-up books in excellent condition can run into the
thousands of dollars. Fortunately, some of the wonderful works of Meggendorfer,
Nister and Tuck have been reproduced in more modern editions and can still be
enjoyed by all.
Many pop-up and moveable books have been gathered into major collections,
privately and publicly (in University Library Special Collections), but there are still
many fine examples available on the open market. And, there are over two hundred
new pop-ups published every year. If you're interested, start looking,
and start popping!
XXXXX
Terry A. Stillman
CATALOGUE MENUS: