A
Passion for Pop-ups: 20 Years of WOW!!
by Ellen G.K.
Rubin
(reprinted from the catalog
of the exhibit-
IDEAS
IN MOTION: The History of Pop-Up and Movable
Books: Books & Ephemera
from the Collection of Ellen G.K. Rubin; Sojourner
Truth Library-SUNY/New Paltz April 11-30, 2005)
The rush of joy comes back to me when I think
of that evening, probably 20 years ago, when
I first
opened The Pop-up Book of Trucks to ‘read’ to
my son, Andrew. (This book happened to have
no text.) Reading had long been a part of our
bedtime ritual, but this would be a new experience
for both of us, my first of many with the “Wow!
Factor.” I had found this pop-up book
at a local store, drawn to it for its colorful
illustrations of all manner of vehicles, illustrations
that were, amazingly, almost life-like. We
pulled a tab together to make the fire-engine
ladder rise, turned a wheel to make the cement
mixer grind, and opened the flaps to see inside
the moving van. Best of all was grabbing the
little tabs on the car-carrier and making the
cars slide on and off the ramps. I think I
was more excited than Andrew interacting with
the book, recreating the actions inherent in
each vehicle. The paper engineer, in devising
these ingenious mechanicals, had allowed us
to actually become the energy behind the vehicles’ movements.
Until that moment, I had never known of these fabulous and interactive books
called “pop-ups.” Always a reader myself, it had been an added joy
for me to use my hands along with my imagination. I remember in the early grades
loving the monthly magazine, Humpty Dumpty, filled not only with stories but
also with cut-outs and paper toys to assemble. When the other girls moved on
to Children’s Digest, with more mature stories but no need for scissors
and glue, I balked and insisted I keep my Humpty Dumpty subscription, withstanding
the derision they heaped upon me. I could read more sophisticated stories, I
reasoned, in the books I borrowed from the local library. A “hands-on” experience
was only to be found in Humpty Dumpty.
So here I was, now an adult, responding again to the need for reader-involvement
in a book. Thus
began my adventure as a collector of pop-up and movable books. My initial thought
had been to concentrate on acquiring pop-ups of children’s classics and
fairytales, like The Secret Garden and Cinderella, and those on scientific subjects
(since science had been my interest and occupation), like The Human Body and
The Facts of Life. I was especially enthralled with the science books and realized
the use of pop-ups and movables allowed them to be unique teaching tools. I thought, “A
picture may be worth a thousand words, but a pop-up is worth a million.” By
actually manipulating the paper I could “make” the sperm reach the
egg and even do a “dissection” of the
human body by lifting the flaps, exposing layers of muscles, bones, and internal
organs.
But my fledgling collecting habits changed in 1988. While a student at Yale Medical
School (in their Physician Associate Program), I visited an exhibit called Eccentric
Books at Yale’s Sterling Library. Over 125 books were displayed, some
dating back to the 15th century, all with movable paper components. I had no
idea these
books had such a long history. I discovered the “Wow! Factor,” awed
by the inventive quality of the early use of paper engineering. I began to collect
with
a new eye and appreciation. After graduation, I sought out book fairs, tag sales,
and flea markets in search of pop-up books. I was on eBay when it was in its
infancy.
In 1994, I became one of the first members of the Movable Book Society, established
as a forum for collectors like myself. The Society published a newsletter, Movable
Stationary, and I began to write articles about my escapades in collecting and
what I was learning about pop-up and movable books. The Society brought me into
contact with paper engineers, book artists, librarians, publishers, and packagers.
My whole world was expanding!
Opening a pop-up or movable book is an adventure. I thrill to the way paper engineers
will enhance a story or an idea by imbuing the subject with movement. I am drawn
into an imaginative world and am expected to be a participant. Perhaps these
books are the dollhouse I never had as a child. The more I can play with the
movables, the happier I am. A book will find its way into my collection if it
passes ‘The Smile Test’ and ranks high in the “Wow! Factor”.
I delight in finding new books with ingenious paper engineering or books on subjects
one wouldn’t think would lend itself to movables, like The Pop-up Book
of Phobias, a book illustrating strong emotions.
Of late, I am attempting to move the time-line of my collection backward, searching
for earlier and earlier examples of the use of movable paper. This is a daunting
task due both to the rarity and cost of these books.
I have been lucky in my pop-up world, from the coincidence of my being in New
Haven at the time
of the Eccentric Book exhibit to meeting and befriending the daughter of Vojtech
Kubsta, the one paper engineer in whom I concentrate my collecting. Lucky
too, that I have been able “to shop and share” and mount exhibits
like this one, Ideas In Motion.
It is my hope that the books and ephemera chosen for this exhibit will demonstrate
an historical
arc highlighted by those examples that are pivotal in the history of movable
paper. I have weighted the choices in favor of the older books that visitors,
especially collectors, rarely see or rarely see together. I have sought to include
items representing different kinds of mechanical devices and those published
around the world. More recent pop-up books are less in evidence because they
are more readily available to the public today. It has been my intention to emphasize
the three facts of which most people are unaware: that movable books have a 700+
year history, that they are all hand-assembled, even to this day, and that they
are not just for kids. I will have achieved my goals overall if you, the visitor,
come away from this exhibit saying, “Wow!”
Ellen G. K. Rubin
March 31, 2005
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