Do you remember those pop-up picture books from your childhood? These books, also known as 3D books, don’t just make little ones’ eyes light up—they captivate readers of all ages. When you open the pages, parts of the illustrations “pop” out of the book, creating a sense of depth for the scene depicted. This type of book has a long tradition. They were first published around 1860, primarily by German artists and publishers—and became widely popular. Today, it is mainly children’s books that are still available in this format.
This type of 3D book, featuring fold-out elements that create a sense of depth and tactile experience, was also used for a computer textbook published in 1984. The original English edition, published by Abbeville Press in New York, is titled “Inside the Personal Computer – An Illustrated Introduction in 3 Dimensions.” In Germany, it was published in 1986 by Oldenbourg Verlag as a German translation titled “Personal Computer in- und auswendig – Das Computer-Buch in 3 Dimensionen.” The same book, but as a publication by Heinz Nixdorf Computer AG, was distributed as an advertising and teaching aid under the title “Der Personal Computer, der sich spielend leicht vorstellt.”
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