Stories leap off the page in the Bowes Art and Architecture Library’s “Panoply of Pop-Ups” exhibition, which showcases notable works from the library’s collection of three-dimensional books.
This quarter’s display, next to the library’s seminar room near the entrance, was curated by librarian Katharine Keller and head of reserves Lorna Corbetta.
The exhibition showcased books from a variety of themes. For example, “Creatures” included a full-page spread of a fuzzy spider from “The Pop-up Book of Phobias.” The whimsical animals and imaginative events of “Alice in Wonderland” were showcased in “Mythology,” while “Structure” spotlighted abstract lines, shapes and forms, such as those in “Cabaret Voltaire” by Howard Munson.
According to Keller, the Bowes’ quarterly exhibitions are an opportunity for the library to highlight books that might otherwise only be shown in classrooms. The idea for this particular exhibit came about organically. A colleague at the libraries had asked to look at a few pop-up books, which led Keller and Cornetta to realize the extent of the collection of pop-ups Bowes Library was home to.
“We thought, ‘Oh my God, we have so many, this is amazing,’” Keller said.
The process of curation similarly happened naturally. “ They kind of fell into themes by themselves,” Corbetta said. The final selection contains only a third of the books they originally considered, due to difficulties fitting them into the dimensions of the display case among other concerns.
The exhibit showcases diverse cultures, from Persian mythology in “Zahhak: the legend of the Serpent King” by Hamid Rahmanian and Simon Arizpe to the works of Japanese artist Hokusai in “Hokusai Pop-Ups” by Courtney Watson McCarthy.
According to Keller, a particular challenge was how fragile the books were.
“We didn’t know: is it going to damage a pop-up book to be popped up for two months?” Keller said. To figure out how to handle and safely lay out the pieces, Keller and Corbetta consulted conservators from Stanford Libraries. The final exhibit uses magnets and other supports to preserve the more delicate works.
Yared Avalos-Iñiguez ’25, who works as a student assistant at the Bowes Library’s virtual resource center, considered “Panoply of Pop-Ups” to be a favorite among the library’s displays. The appeal lies mainly in the surprise of each page, he said. “To have that 3D element, I think draws you in… it’s something that feels really unexpected,” Avalos-Iñiguez said.
Although pop-up books are usually associated with younger readers, Corbetta considers the collection to be appropriate for everyone.
“Adults are just grown up children,” Corbetta said.
Keller said older audiences may better appreciate the skill involved in the books’ construction.
“They’re like little works of engineering that are so amazing. I mean, they look simple, but I think if you really examine them, it’s way more technical than I think people give them credit for,” Keller said.
“Panoply of Pop-Ups” will be available to view for the duration of winter quarter. For audiences who wish to go beyond in their exploration of pop-up books, the “Locked Stacks” collection at the Bowes Art and Architecture Library has an even more extensive collection.