Pop-Up Worlds

Manville Fenn Wild animal stories a panorama picture book circa 1898

Pop up worlds in the form of mechanical books have been around since the 13th century but most were scholarly works intended for adults. Towards the end of the 18th century pop-up books for children began to appear. The very early pop-up books are now mostly beyond the reach of all but the deepest pockets, but you can still build a wonderful collection by concentrating on newer examples.

These are a few of my favourites; 

Sleeping Beauty Peepshow Book;

First of this edition published in 1975. Five double page pop up pages that can be tied to make a star shape mobile to hang by a ribbon loop.  

A Pocketful of Posies by Roy Gerrard;

A selection of traditional nursery rhymes with one pop-up posy at the very end.  Award winning artists Roy Gerrard provided the nostalgic Edwardian style illustrations. Published by Victor Gollancz in 1991.

New Little Prayers Pop-up book; 

Janet and Anne Graham Johnstone illustrated this little treasure of a book. Published by Dean in 1976.

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett; 

Follow the lives of two rabbits and their fast expanding brood as they handle a different seasonal challenge each month. A cold February turns into a wet April followed by a warm July and so on until the family of two gradually grows to be a family of two hundred and eighty eight! This extraordinary picture book is packed with gorgeous details and novelty elements, including a baby record book, a carrot recipe book and a surprise pop-up at the end. 

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett

Puss in boots;

Charles Perrault first published his collection of classic French folk tales more than 300 years ago, included among them was the story of Puss In Boots. In this adaptation, the story has been retold by Christopher Logue with illustrations by Nicola Bayley. 1st edition pop-up book Published by Jonathan Cape Ltd in 1976.

In Puss and boots, a poor miller dies and leaves his youngest son nothing but a cat. The son is none too happy about it, either; Once I've eaten my cat and made a muff out of the fur, I'm sure to starve, he says. But what a legacy the bequeathed cat turns out to be! The cat in tall boots creates a new identity for the youngest son complete with fine clothes, fields of wheat, a castle stolen from an ogre, and in the end, the respect of the king and the hand of the king's daughter.   

The coming of Mammals and The Flight of the Pterosaurs;

The coming of Mammals - 65 million years ago the last of the dinosaurs died out, and small mice like animals came creeping out of the forests. These were early mammals - and without the dinosaurs to fear, they soon began to grow and evolve into a great variety of creatures. This book shows some of the largest mammals of the past, all of them now extinct. Eight pop-ups, paper engineering by Keith Moseley.

The Flight of the Pterosaurs Pop-Up Book - Keith Moseley brings to life the mysterious flying creatures who ruled the skies when the dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Little Boy Blue published in 1982. This one is not so much a pop-up more a press-out concertina style. 

Will you wake him? No, not I. For if I do he's sure to cry. Press out the figures, stand them up and watch the nursery rhyme come to life. 6 figures to press-out including little boy blue, the sheep in the meadow and the cow in the corn. 

It’s interesting to think these inexpensive little books could well be the antiques of the future. Thanks for looking, have a great week.

Update; several visitors to this blog have expressed surprise at the date of the earliest pop-up book. For anyone looking for more information, please visit A concise history of pop-up and movable books by Ann Montanaro.   It is not known who invented the first mechanical device in a book, but one of the earliest examples was produced in the 13th century by Catalan mystic and poet Ramon Llull of Majorca, who used a revolving disc or volvelle to illustrate his theories...more here

All the featured books are now sold, thank you for your interest.

Update July 2016: March House books closed on my retirement in 2015, but I do still blog here at March of Time Books and always appreciate your visit.