Pop-up book show popping up at library
Many people have experienced the feeling of being sucked into a good book, but a lot of adults probably haven’t had a book truly pop out at them since they were children.
That feeling had also been absent from Rue Snider’s life for decades, until he retired about 15 years ago and asked if a famous book store in New York City had any pop-up books not specifically aimed at children. The Strand had one book, — the “Book of Phobias.” In its pages, common fears popped out at the reader with every turn of the page.
A new hobby was born that day for Snider.
“I read fast, I want the information right now,” said Snider, a lifelong resident of Butler Township. “So I started saying, 'Do you have any adult pop-up books?’
“Only because of self-defense, having something to do in retirement,” he said.
Snider has gathered more than 100 pop-up books tackling a number of subjects, from films such as “Jurassic World” to real-life history such as the Titanic.
A retired teacher, Snider said his fascination with pop-up books stems from his love for collecting interesting objects, but he also enjoys seeing the reaction of people who open a pop-up book new to them for the first time.
“It's a different way of looking at reading,” Snider said. “For children it's an excellent way to get them involved when they're not necessarily excited about reading, but they find something suddenly that is interactive for them.”
Snider doesn’t hoard all of his pop-up books to himself; he brings them to local venues for special displays where people can look at and feel the books for themselves.
His next show will be Jan. 12 at the Butler Public Library, where he will bring dozens of his collected pop-up books.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and will last for about an hour, or until every visitor has had enough, Snider said.
“They will be open, and people will be able to go look around at them and touch them,” Snider said. “It's different, it's unusual, it provides an interesting way of looking at things.”
Dianne McCauley, adult program coordinator at the Butler Public Library, said she took Snider’s offer to have a display night at the library, because it is a subject that many people probably don’t realize encompasses so many books.
“Not everybody realizes that they do make pop-up books for adults, and some of them are unique and elaborate,” McCauley said. “It's something different, and I like to do interesting things here.”
Most of the books would take a few minutes to flip through, if the reader was not marveling at the 3D imagery and construction of the subject popping out. Many books have pop-up figures on each page, but some are more elaborate and fold out in different ways and feature several foldout methods.
Snider said the craftsmanship of the books are also a level to enjoy them on.
“Every book is different in the way that they do them,” Snider said. “I have gotten ones that are broken, torn, and I have to repair them. It takes time to figure out how did this person take and put all this together and how can I make it work.”
Snider said he wants to introduce more people to “adult pop-up books,” and shares his books with anyone interested.
He said people who are inspired to start their own collection after seeing his books have an uphill battle ahead of them.
“Out of every two or three I go in I might find a book, but generally they're children's,” Snider said. “But sometimes it's strange, we'll stop at a yard sale and there will be this incredible book, and they are getting rid of it.”
McCauley even said the Butler library seldom has any pop-up books, adult or otherwise, for cardholders to check out. This is in part because of their fragility, she said.
“They get damaged so easily,” McCauley said. “Once in a while we'll get something in for children. They don't always last long.”
Snider said he and his wife normally check out book stores while on their travels in other cities and countries to see if they have any pop-up books. He said one of his best finds was in a book store in Canada.
“We walked into a used book store up there, and I was looking for some Czechoslovakian pop-up books. They are rare,” Snider said. “Walked in and said, ‘Do you have any?’ she said, ‘Oh yeah.’ And I bought a lot.”
Snider said he thinks anyone can find joy in pop-up books, or at the very least, find a pop-up book that appeals to them.
For him, it’s a hobby that gives him an ongoing hunt, but also a way to share his own joy with other people.
“I love art, and I got into this and it was just a little niche,” Snider said. “As an adult I find it just fun.”
