Exhibit of Pop-Up Books Tells a Story

Whimsy, art and science all jump out at viewers of a pop-up book exhibit at the University of Cincinnati. 

The exhibit, in UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) library until mid-March, opens up the unexpected history of pop-up books, according to Jane Carlin, DAAP head librarian.

She said that pop-up books or those with movable parts have been around since the 13th century, and most were instructional in nature, scholarly works touching on medicine and astronomy.  In fact, the oldest pop-up book in UC's collection is a 1583 text from Dresden, Germany, on opthamology and eye surgery.  Another very old title is an 1835 obstetrical text. 

The more modern pop-up books in the UC collection also, on occasion, serve as aids to study.  They include a history of fashion and another on the history of printing as well as books that focus on architecture, art, and landscape design. 

The greatest number, of course, are storybooks for children.

About 90 books comprise the UC pop-up book collection which is spread across DAAP, the Curriculum Resource Center, the Medical Center, and the Archives and Rare Books Department.  The DAAP exhibit contains about 50 modern selections from the collection as well as selections belonging to UC faculty.

Said Carlin, "I hope people will look at the books and realize that they require the same level of creativity as any other form of 3-D design.  They're always full of surprises…"