Daily Express
Children’s Annual No. 3
Copyright 1931
Edited by S. Louis Giraud
The Lane Publications Daily Express Book Department, London
6 3/4 in. x 8 3/4 in. 17.2 cm x 22.4 cm
95 pages, 7 pop-up “self-erecting models”
Geopolitics touches everything, including the world of pop up books. It was German artists and technology that created industry-leading and breakthrough pop up books through the 1920s. World War I halted the movement of books from Germany to the rest of the world. And with it, the beautiful chromolithography that made the best pop up books.
However, the industry experienced a renaissance during the 1930s and 1940s thanks to S. Louis Giraud. Mr. Giraud was the editor of the children’s books for the Daily Express newspaper, he used his influence and knowledge to create an annual book that contained numerous stories for children along with interesting pop ups.
Giraud called his pop ups “living models”. Each pop up was printed on both sides of the paper and could be viewed and enjoyed from all angles. In the video, it is possible to see that the pop ups act almost as paper sculpture, which was Giraud’s goal. The pop ups also employ a modern technique of moving while the page is being opened. Visible in the third pop up, is the figure moving back and forth with the saw on the log as the book is opened and closed.
Comparing the color and detail of the pop ups in the book to the German-made Nister videos, it is clear to see that Giraud book lacks the details and refinement that the Germans had perfected many years before this book was published.
Giraud used a photolitho printing process. The pop up elements in this book are colorful and durable. Most importantly, for Giraud, the process was much less expensive than the German processes. This made the books less expensive and more available to a mass market than the very expensive German pop ups that were available prior to World War I.
Giraud produced a Children’s Annual, primarily for a British audience from 1929 to 1949.
This Vintage book is a beautifully illustrated children’s story collection. It is in very good overall condition with the cover and all pages intact. The cover shows wear. The spine covering is loosening and is damaged at the top. The pop-ups are in nice condition.