51ĀŅĀ×

Co-authored by Haadiza Ogwude

Although movable (pop-up) books are often regarded as a form of entertainment for children, they have a long and rich history that spans generations and genres.

ā€œI think that some people would be surprised to know that the history of movable books goes back as far as it doesā€¦We are used to [seeing] pop-up books, so we do not necessarily think about how old the history might be and how many steps there were to creating a book that would actually ā€˜pop-upā€™ when you opened it. Thatā€™s an advancement that took a long time to develop,ā€ said Miriam Intrator, special collections librarian.

The #MovableMondays video series that has been published on alternating Mondays beginning Jan. 14 is ending with todayā€™s culmination of all eight videos, which were featured on the Librariesā€™ social media accounts: , ,  and .

Kicking off with the book ā€œAstronomicum Caesareumā€ by Peter Apian, one of the oldest examples of a movable book contained in special collections, #MovableMondays was then followed by these books highlighted in videos:  ā€œThe Daily Express,ā€&²Ō²ś²õ±č;ā€œMariners Compass Rectified,ā€ ā€œA Series of Amusing Transformation Scenes,ā€ ā€œA Pop-up Field Guide to North American Wildflowers,ā€ ā€œRobinson Crusoe,ā€ ā€œLay,Table Lay,ā€ and ā€œWelcome to the Neighborwood.ā€

This series was produced as a teaser for the upcoming publication of the Librariesā€™ donor magazine, Gatherings Spring 2019, featuring the full-color story titled, ā€œThe Rare Book Collection: Pushing the Boundaries of Paper Engineering.ā€

Hope you enjoyed the series!