Vojtech Kubasta
Noah's Ark, (1961)
(London): Bancroft
435
Further images
Quarto. 8pp., + a pop-up at the end of the book designed by the acclaimed Czech artist and paper engineer Vojtech Kubasta. The book opens with a retelling of the...
Quarto. 8pp., + a pop-up at the end of the book designed by the acclaimed Czech artist and paper engineer Vojtech Kubasta. The book opens with a retelling of the Genesis chapters that chronicle Noah and the flood, and this is illustrated with black & white head- and tailpieces and depictions of Noah addressing the animals inside the front cover. With a stunning, colorful, three-dimensional pop-up of the ark, showing a variety of animals working on it with hand tools. An unusual feature of this pop-up is a volvelle that shows a changing animal head atop a mammalian body, with a similar arrangement for a bird just beside it. On the rear of the volvelle, we see that a monkey is spinning this wheel, adding a touch of whimsy to this tableau. The book's three-fold board covers open flat, allowing the pop-up scene to stand up on its own. Faint creasing and edge rubbing to exterior, else a near fine copy bound in bright, illustrated boards depicting Noah and his many charges navigating the waters of the deluge.