Rare "Folding Paper Toys" 1963 book by Shari Lewis & Lillian Oppenheimer origami

by Shari Lewis

$52 · Offered by eBay

First edition

This fascinating hardcover book by puppeteer and ventriloquist extraordinaire Shari Lewis and premier origami specialist Lillian Oppenheimer is a rare find! The book is part of a trilogy that the creative pair embarked upon to showcase the art of origami and spark creative play among children in the 1960s. Their other two collaborative books were Folding Paper Puppets and Folding Paper Masks. Original editions of all are quite scarce. This book, which was published in 1963, is a former library book, and so shows signs of having been handled by young hands over the decades. There are various light smudges, and a few dark spots in the initial pages, which can be seen in the photos above. The book appears to be a first edition based on the fact that subsequent printings are typically noted in the volumes that were produced later, and this doesn't mention ANY of them. The hardcover book has a photo of Lewis and one of the toys on the front cover, and the book proceeds through easy-to-follow line drawings and instructions, with Lewis posing playing with the finished toys in full-page B&W photos. Lewis was only thirty when this book was published, and she looks radiantly young! The toys range from "Sailing and Flying Toys" such as a Glider and a Catamaran, to "Doll House Furniture" and "Puppets" that include Jumping Frog and Billie Beak. In the book's introduction, Lewis explains that "with toys the expensive commodities that they are today, I hope you will discover...that children

• Publisher: STEIN & DAY
• Year: 1963
• Condition: Good

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