The library has on display a collection on pop-up nativity books from the collection of Father Matthew Powell, o.p., of Providence College. The 35 or so books are in the Classroom Building main foyer and library cases.  Some pop-up and some tie-in-the-round to form a carousel to tell the story.  Father Matthew has written a history of the pop-up book and the paper nativities, printed here.

Pop-Up Books

   

Movable books actually pre-date the invention of the printing press. The earliest examples are the works of Ramon Llull (c1235-1316) of Majorca, a Catalan mystic and poet whose works contained volvelles or revolving discs, which he used to explain his complex philosophical ideas.  First designed for adults, movable books used flaps, gatefolds and volvelles and served as instructional tools as well as instruments. 

       It wasn't until the mid-18th century that movable books were designed especially for children. That first book was Harlequinade (1765) by London printer and bookseller  Robert Sayer. The industrial revolution brought with it a moneyed, leisure class that indulged its children. In addition color printing was perfected in Germany and the hand labor necessary to assemble the movable parts was cheap.

        The latter part of the 19th century was the golden age of pop-ups because of the increase in the number and quality of movable books produced. They were translated into many languages, producing a world-wide audience. German paper engineer, Lothar Meggendorfer, invented the use of a rivet around which a figure could move when a tab was pulled.

        The first true "pop-up," an illustration that jumps up when the page is opened, was invented by S. Louis Giraud and Theodore Brown in 1929 in England. However, the term "pop- up" was not used until the 1930s when it was copyrighted by Blue Ribbon Press of Chicago.

       Few pop-ups were produced during World War II because of the shortage of both paper and labor. In the 1960s, an English advertising entrepreneur, Waldo Hunt, discovered the work of Czech artist and paper engineer, Vojtech Kubasta (1914-1992).  Hunt's company, Graphics International, introduced Kubasta to the West and began producing pop-ups of its own. Hunt later teamed up with Bennett Cerf of Random House to create a pop-up series.

       Now between 200 and 300 new pop-up books for both children and adults are produced in English each year. The largest collection of pop-up books is the Gustine Courson Weaver Collection at the University of North Texas Library.




Fall 2009- Sepik Masks
October 13, 2009

The exhibit walls of the library currently display the School's collection of original masks and from the Pacific Islands, mostly donated by Peter Ferry, Class of 1975, with one piece donated by Mr. and Mrs. Nicolas Bonadies, parents of Anthony, Class of 1973.  Oceania is the name of a group of more than 25,000 South Pacific Islands.  This Pacific Island art was developed there in isolation from other influences.  These are named Sepik, because they originate from the area around the Sepik River in New Guinea. The basic sculptural materials are wood. The masks show a belief in spirits whose forces could be honored by images, in the hope of appeasing the spirits uncontrolled forces in their natural environment.