Kubasta, Voitech (illustrator).
El Torneo en el Castillo de Coster (Pop-Up Book).
London: Bancroft, [1962]. Printed in Prague by Artia. First Spanish-language edition. Folio (33 cm). [8] pp. Pictorial stiff card wrappers.
One of Vojtech Kubasta’s striking Panascopic Model Books, this Spanish-language edition features eight pages of text accompanied by vivid jousting illustrations and concludes with an elaborate double-page pop-up depicting a medieval castle. Two separate movable jousting knights on horseback ride through a three-dimensional tournament scene. Card covers are color-printed with mounted knights in combat. Rear pop-up scene includes original cellophane castle windows.
Condition: Fine. Pop-up scene is complete and fully functional. Original loose jousting figures are present and intact—these are often missing. Castle windows retain original cellophane inserts. Wrappers show light handling but remain bright and firm. A well-preserved copy of a fragile and highly sought-after Kubasta movable.
Collector's Corner:
Vojtech Kubasta (1914–1992) was a Czech architect, artist, and paper engineer whose imaginative pop-up books remain among the most celebrated of the 20th century. His "Panascopic" books—so named for their panoramic scope—featured a unique format: a narrative booklet bound into stiff boards, culminating in a dramatic double-page pop-up spread. First issued by ARTIA in Prague, these books were distributed internationally through publishers such as Bancroft in London. The Spanish-language edition of El Torneo en el Castillo de Coster is particularly scarce and prized by collectors, especially when complete with the original loose knight figures