Welcome to the World of Pop-up and Movable Books!
The Popuplady is a writer, collector, curator, lecturer, and lover of the genre known as Pop-up and Movable Books. She invites you to explore her website to discover and experience the world of movable books and movable ephemera.
[Those of you who have visited in the past will see a whole new layout here. The content has been expanded to include videos so that you can see how these books really move. Hopefully, you will find it more navigable and easier to find its content. Thanks for returning. I hope you visit often.]Thank you, Ken Ooi! of Feasible Designs who made this website possible with his graphic skills, perceptive ideas, and patient teaching. I could never have done this without you, Ken!
Did you know that
- movable books date back to the 13th century
- every movable book is hand-made, even today
- movable books were originally made for adults and still are
- the artists who animate the illustrations are called “Paper Engineers”
- there is a Society for movable booklovers like the Popuplady?
In this newly up-dated website, The Popuplady will do her best to bring you solidly, researched information as well as Trivia and Jokes [About Pop-ups].
Showcased are videos for visitors to dynamically see what the books do best, MOVE!! Examples may be from around the world [Multimedia] or from The Popuplady’s vast collection [My Collections].
Here, at Popuplady.com, you will find what is going on right now in the Popup World, what the Paper Engineers are working on [Links] and how you can repair and maintain your books.[About Books].
Learn about and join the Movable Book Society and come to its biennial conference [MBS].
Finally, find out who is The Popuplady, what is the source of her passion, and how she can share it personally with you [The Popuplady].
Make Popuplady.com your resource for all areas of the Pop-up Book World.
What's New Around the World
The Smithsonian Institution at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC has mounted an interactive exhibit of pop-up books featuring the many mechanisms that make them dynamic. Entitled, Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop & Turn, this exhibit begins in 1540 and comes right up to the present.
New at the J. P. Morgan Library in New York City is the exhibit: Romantic Gardens featuring the flap books by Humphrey Repton (1752-1818) who used the flaps to show his wealthy clients how he could improve their vast estates, a "before and after" approach.
Lost at Sea: The Ocean in the English Imagination, 1550-1750; exhibit at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St, SE, Wash. DC until Sept. 2, 2010 was reviewed August 19, 2010 in the New York Times.
Mariners used paper instruments, mostly volvelles, the navigate the seas, successfully making England the dominant world country. The Folger Library has a large collection of the books containing these instruments. Start looking here.This early use of movable paper supports the fact that movables were used not for children's pleasure but for useful and scholarly purposes.
The Movable Book Society
CONFERENCE: Portland, Oregon, Sept. 23-25, 2010
It is not too late to make your reservations to attend our next Conference. Come and meet the paper engineers of the books you love; hang out with like-minded aficionados and be there when the Meggendorfer Prize for Best Pop-up Book is awarded.
Multimedia
Bruce Foster and Chuck Fischer, paper engineer and illustrator, have been working together to create wondrous movable books. They have made a unique video to give you an inside look on how these magical books are made. Don't miss this!
My Collection
You may have missed the Kubašta exhibit at the Bienes Museum in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, but you can still see the catalog and browse through Opus VK, Kubašta's own bibliography.
Some of these links may take you away from The Popuplady. Please come right back!
In My Life
The Popuplady tells you about herself and take a peek into some of her personal favorites.