BLUE RIBBON BOOKS (publisher).
The "Pop-Up" Cinderella (Pop-Up Book).
New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1933. First edition.
Octavo (8 11/16 × 6 11/16 × 1 3/4 in.; 22 × 17 × 4.5 cm). [96] pp. With four elaborate full-color pop-up illustrations engineered and illustrated by Harold B. Lentz. Text printed on heavy coated stock with numerous black-and-white illustrations throughout.
A landmark entry in Blue Ribbon Books' celebrated "Illustrated Pop-Up Editions," this title helped popularize the term "pop-up" in the United States. Lentz's dynamic paper engineering and bold Art Deco–influenced illustrations transformed classic fairy tales into immersive visual experiences. This volume contains four beloved stories: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Puss-in-Boots. Each tale is accompanied by dramatic full-spread pop-ups, with the final tableau incorporating delicate cellophane elements.
Condition:
Very Good+. Publisher’s original pictorial paper-covered boards and matching pictorial endpapers. Binding square and sound with light wear to spine tips and corners. Moderate rubbing to extremities. Internally clean and bright with no ownership markings or repairs. All four pop-up scenes are complete, fully functional, and in excellent condition, including the original cellophane overlay in the final spread.
Collector's Corner: The Life and Legacy of Harold B. Lentz
Harold Bryant Lentz (1896–1980) was a pioneering American illustrator, paper engineer, and commercial artist best known for his groundbreaking work in the development of movable books for children. Lentz played a central role in Blue Ribbon Books' "Illustrated Pop-Up Editions," a series that helped establish the term "pop-up" as a hallmark of American children's publishing. His contributions place him alongside European contemporaries like S. Louis Giraud and Theodore Brown, although unlike Giraud—who was primarily an editor and packager—Lentz was both the artistic and mechanical force behind the books he produced.
Born on February 19, 1896, in Ohio, Harold B. Lentz graduated from the Columbus Art School and married Margaret Leonard in 1917. At the time of his marriage, he worked as a writer for the Columbus Daily Monitor (Fourth Estate, p. 19). He published his first known illustrated work in 1918, a paste-craft paper doll booklet titled The Sandman Visits Santa Claus: Educational Amusement for Little Hands, copyrighted in 1919 under his own name (Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Vol. 16, Issue 1, p. 549).
Lentz spent most of his professional life as a commercial artist in Cleveland, Toledo, and Columbus, Ohio. His skills in advertising and mechanical design converged in the early 1930s when he began producing pop-up books for Blue Ribbon Books in New York. His most famous works include The "Pop-Up" Pinocchio (1932), The "Pop-Up" Cinderella (1933), Jack the Giant Killer, and Mother Goose. He was responsible not only for the illustrations but also for designing the mechanical action of the pop-ups—a fact confirmed by a U.S. patent (No. 1,913,797) for a "Self-Erecting Illustration," which he co-authored with James H. Dulin and assigned to Blue Ribbon Books in 1933.
Movable Stationery (Vol. 4, No. 3) quotes a Publisher's Weekly article that emphasized Lentz's dedication: "Much of the credit for the success of these books should be given to Harold B. Lentz . . . The finished quality is due to Mr. Lentz's ingenuity and diligence. After long hours of labor and experimenting, Mr. Lentz prepared preliminary sketches and dummies. When these failed to satisfy him, he made more, tearing up one rough working dummy after another after he discovered impractical folds in the mechanism. The finished books which he finally submitted will permit constant opening and closing of the books without crushing the complicated folded pieces."
Lentz passed away on January 27, 1980, in Indianapolis at age 83. His obituary in The Indianapolis News described him as "a retired commercial artist and originator of 'popup' books for children." He had moved to Indianapolis in 1977 after decades of working in Ohio. He and Margaret had two children: Thomas Woodward Lentz Sr. (1918–1996) and Virginia Ann Lentz Smith Sathre (1921–2017). Virginia married Carleton Smith and later became Virginia Sathre. Thomas, a U.S. Army veteran, passed away in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He married Margaret E. Carroll and had at least one son, Dr. Thomas W. Lentz Jr. (b. 1951), a distinguished art historian and former Director of the Harvard Art Museums from 2003 to 2015. Dr. Lentz also served as a Senior Museum Advisor for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and has contributed significantly to international museum leadership.
According to family sources, including his grandson Dr. Thomas W. Lentz Jr., Harold B. Lentz not only illustrated the books but was responsible for the pop-up engineering as well. His legacy lives on in the rare book world and in museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which houses The "Pop-Up" Pinocchio in its collection. A search for surviving articles or personal interviews with Dr. Lentz may further illuminate Harold's influence across generations.
Known Titles by Harold B. Lentz (According to WorldCat and Additional Sources):
★ The "Pop-Up" Cinderella, including Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss-in-Boots (1 edition, 1933)
★ The "Pop-Up" Mother Goose (11 editions, 1933–1995)
★ The "Pop-Up" Pinocchio: Being the Life and Adventures of a Wooden Puppet Who Finally Became a Real Boy (2 editions, 1932–1933)
★ Puss in Boots (6 editions, 1934–1995)
★ Goldilocks and the Three Bears (3 editions, 1934)
★ Little Red Riding Hood (5 editions, 1933–1934)
★ Jack the Giant Killer: Including Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Ridinghood, Sleeping Beauty with pop-up illustrations (1 edition, 1932)
★ Jack the Giant Killer (3 editions, 1932–1933)
★ Dick Tracy: The Capture of Boris Arson by Chester Gould (2 editions, 1935)
★ Little Orphan Annie and Jumbo, the Circus Elephant by Harold Gray (1 edition, 1935)
★ Sleeping Beauty (1 edition, 1933)
★ Little Red Ridinghood: With "Pop-Up" Illustrations in Color (2 editions, 1933)
★ Jack and the Beanstalk (2 editions, 1933)
★ Little Red Ridinghood (1 edition, 1934)
★ El Gato con Botas: Cuento "Ilustración-Sorpresa" (Spanish edition)
★ La Tía Ansarona: Cuento "Ilustración-Sorpresa" (Spanish edition)
★ The "Pop-Up" Mickey Mouse (Disney title, 1934; although not credited on the cover, stylistic and structural similarities suggest Lentz’s involvement under Blue Ribbon's imprint)
★ The "Pop-Up" Donald Duck (Disney title, 1935; attributed to the Blue Ribbon format and engineering typical of Lentz)
★ Little Red Ridinghood: The Illustrated Pop-Up Edition (Pleasure Books, 1934; artwork and structure closely resemble Lentz's, but not individually credited)
References:
Montanaro, Ann R. Pop-Up and Movable Books: A Bibliography (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1993), pp. 61, 84. Includes bibliographic listings for Blue Ribbon's pop-up titles and context for Lentz’s contributions.
University of Virginia Special Collections Library. Blue Ribbon Pop-Up Books Archive. Cites original publication details and holdings of early American movable books.
Movable Stationery, Vol. 4, No. 3. Features a profile of Harold B. Lentz and early Blue Ribbon pop-up titles.
Publisher’s Weekly (1930s excerpt via Movable Stationery). Marketing history and influence of “pop-up” branding.
Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Vol. 16, Issue 1, p. 549. Official listing for The Pop-Up Cinderella.
The Fourth Estate, 1917, p. 19. Mention of Blue Ribbon Books in early publishing reports.
U.S. Patent No. 1,913,797, issued June 13, 1933. Pop-up mechanism attributed to Harold B. Lentz.
The Indianapolis News, Obituary, Jan. 1980. Biographical details on Harold B. Lentz.
U.S. Census Records, FamilySearch, and Find A Grave. Genealogical sources for Harold B. Lentz and family.
Harvard Art Museums and Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Public biographical profiles of Dr. Thomas W. Lentz Jr., family member and notable art historian.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Online Collection: The "Pop-Up" Pinocchio. Comparative title by Lentz in museum holdings.
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