Authors pop-up on Drexel campus
Lindsey Rogers
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: News
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Pop-up book creators Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart came to Drexel for a public book signing and free lecture in the Living Arts Lounge at University City Main Campus Oct. 3.
On display at the signing were some of Sabuda and Reinhart's books including: Mommy?, The 12 Days of Christmas Anniversary Edition: A Pop-Up Celebration along with their spins of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Reinhart and Sabuda have been doing this work for around 20 years.
When asked about why the authors chose pop-up books Reinhart said with a laugh, "Because we know nothing else."
"I find them, in general, fascinating," Sabuda said. "Books are magical and pop-ups take it further."
Sabuda further explained that he chose to make pop-up books because he likes non-traditional books and, according to him, pop-ups are about as non-traditional books get. Sabuda and Reinhart's pop-up books can lay flat on the table and the pop-up figures stand up to around four inches off of the page. Usually, pop-up books can only be opened half-way because the pictures were made of flimsy poster board materials. The complexity of the books leads to an even more complicated binding process.
"A lot of trial and error," Reinhart said describing the process. "We build the designs several times."
The designs are made into a number of models and each model is then tested for quality, durability and to ensure that the design functions properly. This is done by subjecting the book to rough handling, just as a child would when given the book.
This is done so that, according to Sabuda, the "problem solving" can be done. "Murphy's law:" Reinhart says. "If it can go wrong it will go wrong."
"If it [a flaw in the pages' designs] happens once it will happen over and over," Sabuda said. This means that if one book is produced that easily falls apart then every book being produced that same way will fall part as well.
Reinhart and Sabuda are both working on a few books each. Reinhart has Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy, slated for release Oct. 9, and he is working with Sabuda on their latest series Encyclopedia Mythologica: Fairies & Mythical Creatures. Sabuda, himself, is working on several books such as Peter Pan and turning all seven of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books into pop-ups.
On display at the signing were some of Sabuda and Reinhart's books including: Mommy?, The 12 Days of Christmas Anniversary Edition: A Pop-Up Celebration along with their spins of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Reinhart and Sabuda have been doing this work for around 20 years.
When asked about why the authors chose pop-up books Reinhart said with a laugh, "Because we know nothing else."
"I find them, in general, fascinating," Sabuda said. "Books are magical and pop-ups take it further."
Sabuda further explained that he chose to make pop-up books because he likes non-traditional books and, according to him, pop-ups are about as non-traditional books get. Sabuda and Reinhart's pop-up books can lay flat on the table and the pop-up figures stand up to around four inches off of the page. Usually, pop-up books can only be opened half-way because the pictures were made of flimsy poster board materials. The complexity of the books leads to an even more complicated binding process.
"A lot of trial and error," Reinhart said describing the process. "We build the designs several times."
The designs are made into a number of models and each model is then tested for quality, durability and to ensure that the design functions properly. This is done by subjecting the book to rough handling, just as a child would when given the book.
This is done so that, according to Sabuda, the "problem solving" can be done. "Murphy's law:" Reinhart says. "If it can go wrong it will go wrong."
"If it [a flaw in the pages' designs] happens once it will happen over and over," Sabuda said. This means that if one book is produced that easily falls apart then every book being produced that same way will fall part as well.
Reinhart and Sabuda are both working on a few books each. Reinhart has Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy, slated for release Oct. 9, and he is working with Sabuda on their latest series Encyclopedia Mythologica: Fairies & Mythical Creatures. Sabuda, himself, is working on several books such as Peter Pan and turning all seven of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books into pop-ups.
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