Pop-up Books

Who Says Books Are Outdated?

Ever notice that whenever a politician or a world leader wants to give his constituents the impression of being scholarly, smart and well read that he has his photograph taken or interview conducted in a library? Not in a computer room or before a Smart Board but in a room lined with lots and lots of those friendly, low tech books. And if he really wants to give the impression that he's literate, he'll actually hold a book in his lap. Not a laptop or a blackberry or some other electronic gizmo but a solid, rectangular book with a spine, a title page and all those famous, mundane bookish trappings.

And why is it that when people want to honor a former president, they build a library in his name? Again, not a computer lab but a library? Is it true that building a library in somebody's honor is the highest form of flattery? The best way possible to pay tribute to somebody's leadership and intellectual superiority?

So, I must ask myself, why is it schools are so willing to pump thousands of dollars into the latest technological marvels at the expense of their libraries? I don't get it.

Anyhow, here's one type of book that takes some engineering smarts. Check out the video above featuring pop-up master Robert Sabuda.