Grosse Menagerie: Lebende Bilder aus der Thierwelt (Pop-Up Book, 1882)
Vienna: Moritz Perles, 1882. Illustrated by Theodor von Pichler. First and only edition.
Translates to: Grosse Menagerie. Living Pictures from the Animal World. For young people, with text and scenic pictures.
4to (32 x 24 cm). [1] title page, [8] pages of descriptive letterpress text, [8] full-color lithographed pop-up scenes.
Contemporary half-cloth binding with original color lithographed pictorial cover mounted.
A scarce and visually exuberant 19th-century German pop-up book depicting exotic zoo animals in vivid chromolithography. This interactive volume features eight elaborate fold-out scenery plates, each activated via ribbon pulls that raise the animals into striking two- or three-dimensional tableaux. Subjects include a lion, elephant, ostrich and cassowary, dromedary, zebra and giraffe, waterfowl, monkeys, bears, and tigers—each shown in their enclosures, often with human figures and naturalistic background detail.
The pop-ups are elevated by pulling attached ribbons. The accompanying text explains the characteristics, lifestyle, and geographic origin of each animal, making this book both a visual spectacle and educational tool.
Issued in a single edition and referenced in Wegehaupt III, 2880 and Ries, Wilhelminische Zeit, p. 774,6 (who erroneously dated it 1881, an error also found in Klotz, Bilderbücher II, 4287/9). This is a well-preserved and complete example of a remarkable Austrian movable picture book, notable for its color printing and mechanical ingenuity.
Collector's Corner:
This remarkable pop-up book is believed to draw visual inspiration from the world’s oldest operational zoo—Schönbrunn Zoo (Tiergarten Schönbrunn) in Vienna. Founded in 1752 and opened to the public in 1779, the zoo had become by the late 19th century one of the most admired zoological gardens in the world. The detailed animal enclosures and exotic menagerie scenes in this book reflect the grandeur and international reputation of Schönbrunn during the era.
An excerpt from Illustrirte Zeitung, vol. 79, p. 519 (Leipzig: J.J. Weber, 1882) states that "The Grosse Menagerie presents the most important animals in scenic form for visual observation and provides an original approach to natural history, while Six Movable Pictures contributes to fun in the nursery and at the same time expands the child’s understanding of concepts".
Published in 1882 by Moritz Perles of Vienna, this edition showcases eight intricately lithographed fold-out zoo scenes. The artwork and accompanying text were created by Theodor von Pichler (b. 1832, Vienna).
Pichler is also credited with illustrating Verwandlungsbilder zu sechs der schönsten Märchen, a transformation picture book considered one of his most notable works (Ream 775.17). He also authored the similarly styled pop-up book Singhalesen und Sudanesen aus fernen Landen, published in 1888.
An 1885 Christmas advertisement from Moritz Perles in Vienna promotes Alles rührt sich! (“Everything Moves!”), a bewegliches Bilderbuch (movable picture book) created by Theodor von Pichler, with verses by Ph. Brunner. This comical mechanical book featured five interactive scenes, including a masked ball, gondola ride, and scenes of children playing.
Pichler’s most technically ambitious works were his Wandelpanorama (scrolling panorama) books. These include Ueber Berg und Thal zum Meere, Eine Reise durch Europa, and Eine Reise um die Welt—each described as a bewegliches Bilderbuch with hidden mechanisms that allow a continuous, hand-colored paper strip to scroll across a viewing frame. Activated by ribbon or crank, these moving tableaux simulate the sensation of journeying through dramatic landscapes or famous cities, combining theatrical movement with narration.
Ein Reise durch Europa is described as "The scrolling panorama, with its charming transparent images, shows the cities of Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Petersburg, Stockholm, London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, and Constantinople in succession".
These rare titles appear in multiple period sources, including Österreichische Alpenzeitung (vol. 7, 1885, p. 12), Taussig’s Illustrirter Wiener Hausfrauen-Kalender (1885), and Das geistige Wien by Ludwig Eisenberg (1889, p. 154); all digitized by Google Books.
Note: A passage on one of his panoramas confirms Pichler as the illustrator and stated that the text accompanying it was written by his Father!
It was for Eine Reise durch Europa, a movable picture book published by Moritz Perles. According to this contemporary review, the book was praised for its vibrant images and educational value, and was held up as an example of how movable books could enrich rather than dilute the intellectual and moral development of young readers . The text goes on to lament the rise of disposable, mass-produced picture books that offer little educational or cultural value. These books are often quickly destroyed and forgotten, serving no real purpose for a child’s development. In contrast, it argues that children’s books should engage young minds intellectually, aesthetically, and morally. The author presents Eine Reise durch Europa as a welcome example of this higher standard in children's publishing.
( Commentary found in: Leitfaden der Heimatkunde von Wien, 1884, p. 31. Digitized by Google Books.)
About Theodor von Pichler: Theodor von Pichler (b. 1832, Vienna Austria) studied at the Milan Academy
Quoting a passage in Eisenberg, Ludwig. Das geistige Wien: Mittheilungen über die in Wien lebenden Schriftsteller, Künstler, Schauspieler, Musiker, etc. Vienna: Daberkow, 1889, p. 154. Digitized by Google Books:
" Pichler, Theodor von, writer and painter, born in Vienna on August 31, 1832.He published a large number of children's works. As a painter and draftsman (student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan), he primarily focused on the illustration of various works. He also produced, among other things, several fashion plates for the Wiener Mode at No. 4 Göthegasse."
About the Publisher: Moritz Perles (1844–1917) was born in Prague and trained under J. Schalek before working at J. Bensheimer in Mannheim and later the Becksche court and university bookshop in Vienna. In 1869, he established his own bookshop and publishing house at Seilergasse 4 in Vienna’s prestigious 1st district. Though the business began modestly, it flourished over the following decades, becoming a renowned outlet for both German and international publications.
Following Perles’s death in 1917, the company passed to his two sons. The firm remained active until 1938, when it was forcibly closed and liquidated by the Gestapo under Nazi occupation. The publishing house, like many Jewish-run enterprises, was “Aryanized” and transferred to the Hollinek printers. Several members of the Perles family perished in concentration camps, while others fled abroad.
In a tribute to the company’s legacy and its unjust destruction, the University of Vienna’s Murray Hall initiated the installation of a commemorative plaque at the former premises on March 23, 1998. It reads:
"The Moritz Perles publishing house was located in this house until March 1938. In memory of all Jewish booksellers and publishers in Vienna whose lives and existence were destroyed after the 'Annexation' of Austria. Dedicated by the Main Association of the Austrian Book Trade."
References:
Wikipedia contributors. "Moritz Perles." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Last modified December 23, 2022. https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moritz_Perles (accessed May 29, 2023
Geisenheyner Rare Books. Katalog 95: Bilderbücher, Kinderbücher, Pop-Up und illustrierte Bücher 1780–1950. Wiesbaden: Geisenheyner Antiquariat, n.d. Accessed June 29, 2025. https://www.geisenheyner.de/site/pdf/katalog_95.pdf.