Matthew Reinhart's Blog, page 11

Word of the Day: Crabwise

Crabwise \KRAB-wahyz\ adverb

1. sideways
2. to move like a crab

Weekly Beast: Rainbow Toad

Ansonia latidisca was rediscovered recently by Indraneil Das.  Ansonia latidisca is also known as the Bornean rainbow toad which hasn't been seen since 1924!  Below is the first ever photograph of the toad; check out all of the amazing colors on it!  It's pretty amazing to see a toad that resembles some of the papers here in the studio!

~Jess

Whats Popped Up: A Japanese Book

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This weekend we got to see Japan's overtime win in the finals of the Women's World Cup. I do not confess to be much of a soccer fan, but even I eagerly watched the penalty kicks as an underdog Japanese team bested the U.S. squad. Let face it, Japan needed a win after the horrible trifecta of earthquakes, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown.

So today, we are taking a closer look at Japanese pop-up books. Long coveted with high price tags, I can only drool over photos and Ebay listings. Today I found a link to A Japanese Book, a small online bookseller based in, you guessed it, Japan. The owner has created a webpage that showcases 60 years of Japanese edition movable books, which you can find here.

He prefaced the list with these words: "Modern Japanese pop-up and movable books (tobidasu ehon) are still at their beginning. Japan counts numerous fine illustrators and writers, and has a very active book industry — the only thing left is for paper engineers and publishers to give one another the means to realize their desires and meet our expectations! Greatly looking forward to it."

I too am looking forward to the creative collaborations that continue to come out of this tiny island nation. Some of these pop-up books are simple adaptations of popular cartoon enterprises but as you scroll down to more recent titles you will see there are many winners; just like Coach Sasaki and his team of champions.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Deipnosophist

Deipnosophist \dyp-NOS-uh-fist\ noun

1. Someone who is skilled in table talk.

Origin: Deipnosophist comes from the title of a work written by the Greek Athenaeus in about 228 AD, Deipnosophistai, in which a number of wise men sit at a dinner table and discuss a wide range of topics.  It is derived from deipnon, "dinner" + sophistas, "a clever or wise man."

Vintage Moveable Review: Bajazzo

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One of my favorite pop-up books is also one the most mysterious. This German edition is titled "Bajazzo, Die Freude Heiner Leute". My German is very sparse but one translation I found read as: Pagliacci the happy Heiner people. This leads us to the Italian opera Pagliacci that premiered in Milan in 1892. Based on the paper and the coiled wire rivets I would place the book's creation around that time period. The book contains seven lithograph color plates with multiple movable parts activated by a pull tab. The mechanisms are simpler than Meggendorfer and more in line with movable books from Capendu in France. Alas, while the actions are interesting and bizarre they do not match up with the plot of the opera. One can surmise that the movable book is less an adaptation but an original narrative starring this Italian clown. The 25 page accompanying text suggests that the author was a Georg Tllers and the publisher may be Burgftadt or from the Burgstadt region in Germany.

While I do enjoy the book as well as a good mystery, if any reader has more insight or information on this title, please feel free to comment below.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Troglodyte

Troglodyte \TROG-luh-dyt\ noun

1. A member of a primitive people that lived in caves, dens, or holes; a cave dweller.
2. One who is regarded as reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish.

Origin: Troglodyte comes from Latin Troglodytae, a people said to be cave dwellers, from Greek Troglodytai, from trogle, "a hole" + dyein, "to enter."

History Lesson: Live Aid Concert

On July 13, 1985, Live Aid is opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the Wembley Stadium in London.  Live Aid is the brainchild of Bob Geldof, the singer of an Irish rock group called the Boomtown Rats.  After hearing news about the horrific famine in Africa and traveling to Ethiopia, he put together Live Aid to raise awareness of this crisis.

Live Aid was a 16 hour "superconcert" that was globally linked via satellite.  The majority of the artists performed at Wembley Stadium or at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium.  At the end of the "superconcert" they had raised $125 million for famine relief for Africa.

Word of the Day: Dishabille

Dishabille \dis-uh-BEEL\ noun

1.  The state of being carelessly or partially dressed.
2.  Casual or lounging attire.
3.  An intentionally careless or casual manner.

Origin: Dishabille comes from French déshabiller, "to undress," from dés-, "dis-" + habiller, "to clothe, to dress."

Weekly Beast: Emperor Tamarin

The Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) is a tamarin supposedly named after the German emperor Wilhelm II.  The Emperor Tamarin is a primate that inhabits tropical rain forests, living deep in the forest and also in the open tree-covered areas.  They live in groups of 2 to 8 animals with the oldest female leading the group.

Artist Watch: Another Studio for Design

How amazing would it be to receive a post card that pops up AND can grow a mini garden?  The London based Another Studio for Design thought it would be pretty great, so they created PostCarden!  PostCarden are pop up greeting cards that contain seeds you can grow in the pop up environment.  Check out the video and images below to see just how amazing they are! 





 ~Jess