AZAD, 2010. Octavo. Trifold with internal flap structure. One of five copies, of which this is the first, signed and dated by the artist, Laimah Osman. Interacting with the multiple flaps of this book reveals permutations of cut-out bullets, soldiers, and civilians with raised arms, which overlay inkjet-printed maps of..... More
(Riverside, CA): Bo Press, 2012. (22)ff. According to the printer, one of perhaps half a dozen copies, so limited because of the sheer workload required of its construction. The most famous scenes of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" are here rendered as a three-dimensional toy theater, capturing the imagination of..... More
Amsterdam: (n.d.). Small octavo. (15)pp. With eight full-page illustrations, printed in orange and black. At the back of the volume are a head and two legs set to rotate on brass rivets; when unfolded, they align with the torso on the upper cover to create the illusion of a full..... More
(N.p. c. 1890). 24mo. (42)pp. With copious illustrations in both color and monochrome. Blow books are classic magic tricks, most popular through the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The magician presents the book and riffles through it, showing a set of like illustrations. Then with the book closed, he or she..... More
Amsterdam: Cohen Zonen, (n.d.). Octavo. (10)pp. Four full color movable images, and black & white illustrations throughout. The movables illustrate humans and animals taking part in charming circus scenes: monkeys clamber about a ladder, an elephant balances a clown upon its trunk, another well-dressed elephant plays the tuba in front..... More
London: Dean & Son, (n.d.). Small quarto. 8ff., printed one side only. Eight pages with full hand-colored images—sometimes more than one to a page—all of which bear movable features. These are manipulated through paper tabs toward the bottom of the illustration. Pulling a tab back and forth causes Mother Hubbard's..... More
London: Dean & Son, (1859). Small quarto. (8)ff. Eight hand-colored engravings, all with movable parts. These movable images are operated through paper tabs and show the titular old woman with a host of animals as she tries to tame her newly purchased pig. The text of the story lies below..... More
Berlin: (Carl Schauer, c. 1895). Small quarto. (8)pp. Four full-page color plates with volvelles. Each plate depicts a particular scene—”Das Theater,” “Die Menagerie,” “Der Bildermann,” and “Das Karussel”—which is described in lyric verse on the facing page. The turning mechanisms then change a certain portion of the image. For example..... More
Barcelona: Editorial Maravilla, 1941. Quarto. 6ff., + 5 inserted movable illustrations, each with intact and functional pull-tabs that set butterfly wings alight, swing the arms of princesses and moths, and send bells to chiming. Matched by quaint woodcuts at the title page, edition statement, and start and end of the..... More
NY: Bouillon-Sanders & Chopp, (1926). Quarto. (16)pp. Illustrated throughout in color and black & white, and in a bright orange binding featuring the main character, Willie, with fully movable arms. A "Willie Wait a Minute," who is always postponing his responsibilities to play just a minute longer, is able to..... More
Guildford: Circle Press, 1986. Small folio. (36)pp., french-fold. From an edition of 80 copies, this one is designated "A.P." Signed by the illustrator, Ronald King, and the poet, Roy Fisher. Illustrated in color with numerous photo-collage vignettes, seven tableaux from drawings, and twelve movable puppet designs by King. The puppets..... More
Paris: Nouvelle Librairie de la Jeunesse, (c. 1900). Quarto panorama of six chromolithographed pop-up scenes. They carry the reader through an exotic hunt, in which cowboys and local turbaned attendants pursue and slay lions and tigers, and eventually overcome an ambush by native tribespeople. The book's three-dimensional structure adds to..... More
London: Bancroft & Co, (c. 1960). Quarto. 7, (1)pp. Tri-fold pictorial boards, with lower cover unfolding into a table-top pop-up image of the many animals boarding Noah's Ark. The scene has a humorous flair; a fox plays chess with a stork and a panther, a male crocodile smokes a pipe..... More
(1968). An uncommon die-cut pop-up card depicting a nativity scene set in ancient Bethlehem, beneath palm trees and a starry night sky. Cattle, goats, sheep, and an elephant surround the manger, as the magi and others bring gifts. Presiding over the scene is an angel carrying a banner proclaiming "Gloria..... More
(Bangor: Tatlin Books, 1996). (12)ff. A prayer for safety on the way, with subtle decorations in color. The first eight pages unfold to show a wheel-like design. "Very little pagan influence can be seen in this poem, which seems more prayer than charm." A handsomely designed and printed book on..... More
(Philadelphia): Alice Austin, 2019. Tunnel book consisting of six panels connected with illustrated accordion-folded side panels. The three-dimensional scene revealed when the book is expanded shows the beauty and chaos of Venice's Grand Canal, from the natural world, to the built environment, and the life that inhabits the shared space..... More
