There are a couple of problems with the publisher’s description of Matthew Reinhart’s latest book.First, calling this sophisticated
piece of engineering a “pop-up
book” is like calling the Great Wall of China a partition. Reinhart
doesn’t fill pages from left to right like a normal author. He fills
them upward and outward in three-dimensional space. He engineers
enormous, elaborate tagboard sculptures with hundreds of parts that
precisely interact as they rise from the book.Second, the
publisher doesn’t list a page count for “Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to
the Galaxy,” as though counting them were impossible. Yes, the book has
only six two-page spreads, each presenting a gigantic iconic character,
creature, spaceship or location from the original “Star Wars” movie
trilogy. (The book was authorized by Lucasfilm to help commemorate the
first movie’s 30th anniversary.) But as in Reinhart’s popular
collaborations with Robert Sabuda (like the shark- and
dinosaur-infested “Prehistorica” trilogy), the four corners of each
spread contain sub-pages. These smaller doors open to reveal even more
pop-up sculptures. In fact, in this three-inch-thick volume, the author
introduces sub-sub-pages: mini-spreads that open from within the
mini-spreads. In all, there are 36 increasingly stunning pop-up
displays.That’s not the only way the author (engineer? sculptor?
contractor?) pushes the envelope, either. He adds a fourth dimension to
many of these 3-D sculptures by animating them. They actually move as
they open. For example, as you open the book, a robed figure
first whips her weapon out at you, then lifts her hood to reveal she’s
Princess Leia. The gruesome-looking rancor beast jumps forward,
whipping its claws, and chomps its nasty jaws in your face as you flex
the book’s spine. And as you open the final spread, the halves of Darth
Vader’s black helmet — here, eight inches tall — close slowly, like a
clamshell, until you can no longer see the bloodshot, wrinkly, tragic
face inside.Some of the artwork and engineering are so detailed,
you can’t imagine how they were created. On one spread, the entire Mos
Eisley cantina lifts into the air before you: four architecturally
sound rooms, complete with furniture, archways and an open-air roof.
The bar is fully populated by individual characters like Han Solo,
Chewbacca, Obi-Wan, Luke and all the creepy aliens who’ve stopped in
for a quick drink.On another spread, the author has the audacity
to attempt a pop-up Death Star, which is, of course, a sphere. Now,
making a perfect sphere pop out of a flat page must be one of those
industry holy grails, like a ventriloquist nailing the trick of
drinking water while his dummy talks. But this book pretty much manages
it.Unfortunately, not everything here jumps off the page. The
text, a series of encyclopedialike “Star Wars” trivia blurbs, is
generally as dull and dry as the Tatooine desert. (“Crowned with twin
head-tails, or lekku, Twi’leks colonized the subterranean caverns of
the wind-whipped planet Ryloth.”) The author admits to being a
hard-core “Star Wars” nerd, and fellow cultists will nod happily in
recognition. But normal people may soon stop reading and get back to
playing with the pop-ups.Still, they’ll be amply rewarded,
especially when they discover the “No way!” moment that waits on the
final spread: sub-flaps that, when opened, make Luke Skywalker and
Darth Vader leap upward, facing each other from opposite sides of your
lap, each wielding a light saber that actually lights up. O.K., these
weapons are in fact thin, illuminated plastic tubes powered by a
battery hidden in the back cover. But your child — or your inner child
— never needs to know that. To mangle Arthur C Clarke’s famous saying, any sufficiently advanced pop-up book is indistinguishable from magic.GET THIS BOOK FREE.BUY SELL RENT BOOKS FROM THE LINK BELOW.