The earliest known examples of moveable books can be attributed to Ramon Llull (c. 1235-1316) of Majorca, a Catalan mystic and poet. He used revolving discs (volvelles) to illustrate his logic. These discs divided categories of things, ideas, substances, adjectives, verbs, knowledge and actions into superior and inferior groups. Other types of moveable books, in particular "turn-up" or "lift-the-flap" mechanisms were in use as early as the fourteenth century. Pop-up and movable books are not ordinary books; for more than 100 years their ingenious mechanical devices have surprised and entertained readers of all ages. This exhibit displays a small sample of over 400 Pop-Up books donated by SJSU alumna Jeanne Rose.
