An Anatomy of Movable Delights:

Analyzing selected 18th -21st century interactive books from a comparative media approach

Abstract

This essay derives from a keynote talk given virtually at the Foundation Tancredi di Barolo in Torino as part of  “Pop-App” an international conference on the description, conservation and use of Movable books, held between 16-19 February, 2021. The conference was organized by Professors Vagliani and Crupi, and had been planned for February 2020 but postponed a year and held online due to Covid. The conference was a great success. The switch to virtual mode enabled more people to present and attend globally and raise provocative questions about movable books and moveable media generally from different perspectives. The occasion of the conference and writing this essay has prompted me to push my thinking about movable books forward in two ways. It has enabled me to think more about contemporary movables, especially pop-up books, in a cross-cultural and cross-linguistic manner in light of earlier books. It has also spurred me to return to, rethink and re-apply ideas of key comparative and new media theorists, particularly the work of Noah Wardrip-Fruin on his anatomy of player effects based on computer gaming that I adapt to interactive paper media.