reference and nonfiction

When you first open the cover of this amazing book, you will be ASTOUNDED by the pop-up on the first page - one of the most incredible I've ever seen in a mass-marketed book - and you will immediately want to learn how to do something like that! However, be forewarned: this is NOT a how-to book. You won't be given a tidy list of instructions: "Fold line A, cut at B, join to C, fold and WALLA! A dinosaur!" What you WILL get is all the building blocks you need, in the form of examples of every conceivable type of pop-up mechanism (including ones you've probably never seen before, like neat-o spinning disks), to make incredible pop-ups like the one on the first page. This is more of a pop-up dictionary. It's an amazing overview, and the examples - all of which are neatly arranged into individual categories based on type of pop-up mechanism, and all of which can be taken apart and put back together to explore the mechanics - are inspiring. It's up to your spirit of exploration and creativity to figure out what sort of pop-ups you can create using these ideas. The easiest pop-up folds are marked with an "easy" star (sadly, not too many are "easy," but that's the world of pop-ups for you). I wished that there were clearer directions on the difficult examples, though - some are tricky to figure out just by taking them apart (I wanted to know if I was trying to use a particular fold how I would figure out how much space to leave, how to figure out what to glue first, etc. But there's much to be said for trial and error. I've figured out quite a few already.) Overall, though, it's a great book, and an invaluable resource for budding pop-up artists. I'm very glad I bought it!

Elements of Pop Up is one of the few How To Make Pop-Ups books that features patterns for moving parts like wheel/tab mechanisms, which is why I purchased it. However, don't expect to be able to create anything extrememly fancy with this one. The examples are made of simple shapes that expect the user to expand upon them as necessary--this can be a detriment when you're trying to figure out how to alter the pattern to make something more complicated. The most useful part of the book, ironically, isn't even in the book: it's online at www.popupbooks.com, Carter's website. In the Surprise section, one can download all the patterns for making every example shown. Don't pass up buying the book, though. You'll most likely need Elements of Pop Up at your side to figure out how to assemble all your cut out pieces correctly. If you'd rather follow instructions and complete specific projects, I'd recommend Carter/Diaz's other book, Let's Make It Pop-Up! (ISBN 0-689-86508-2), which has pre-printed pictures and contains projects like Blooming Flower and Huggy Bear.

I found this book in the special archives section at my university, and was very impressed. This book is clear, well thought out, and beautifully presented. If you are at all interested in this medium, buy this book.