Springing to Life Movable Books & Mechanical Devices

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  Star Wars-Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy, by Matthew Reinhart (2007).
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  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Robert Sabuda (2003).
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  One Red Dot: A Pop-up for Children of All Ages, by David Carter (2005).
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  How Columbus Discovered America, by Vojtěch Kubašta (1961).
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  Jumbo and the Countryman, circa 1890
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  16th century movable book from Italy.

From intricate twirling wheels for calculating planetary movement to colorful paper sculptures that blossom forth from the page, more than 50 movable and pop-up books are on display in the University of Rochester's exhibit Springing to Life: Movable Books and Mechanical Devices.

"Pop-up books are the perfect melding of art and history," says exhibit curator Leah Hamilton, collections manager for Rare Books. Published from 1540 to 2010, the interactive texts in the exhibit demonstrate how movable books were first used in religious works, then as children's books, and most recently as design showpieces. Read more...