Giveaway and Book Review #30: ANGELS: A Pop-Up Book by Chuck Fischer

Thanks to the heavenly beings at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 giveaway one (just 1) copy of

ANGELS: A Pop-Up Book
by Chuck Fischer.

Rules for entering this giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

ANGELS: A Pop-Up Book

by Chuck Fischer

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Category: Art

Format: Hardcover Book

Publish Date: 10/19/2009

Price: $30.00/$36.00

ISBN: 9780316039703

Pages: 18

Size: 9-3/4" x 7-3/4"

Description (from the publisher):
Whether you consider angels to be divine messengers, spiritual guides, or the stuff of legend, you will find something to marvel at in Chuck Fischer's beautifully illustrated Angels: A Pop-Up Book. Fischer's original art, inspired by classic images from art history, is crafted into astoundingly intricate three-dimensional pop-ups with fold-outs and moveable parts. Angels brings to life the most captivating stories of these celestial beings, from the angels of the zodiac to Biblical angels to angels in the arts and popular culture. Much like its subject, Angels: A Pop-Up Book inspires awe and wonder and is a unique gift book for all ages.

Check out this video to see the book "in action."




My Rating: 5 out of 5 Sparkling Stars!

My Thoughts:
As if just the concept of angels isn't awe-inspiring enough, Chuck Fischer has created an absolutely stunning pop-up book from which the celestial beings spring forth and seemingly take flight. Words just cannot do this book justice - it must seen, experienced, in order to fully appreciate its beauty.

There are six spectacular pop-ups and two smaller ones. My favorite is probably the one in the center of the book, Archangel Gabriel. In this representation, Fischer recreates the scene of the Annunciation depicting Gabriel as a messenger of God. The Holy Spirit, in the traditional form of a dove, hovers at the top of the scene. Rays of light (golden threads) shine down and illuminate the holy texts being read by Mary as she sits in what appears to be a loggia. Over the railings and past the trees one can see a stonework bridge crossing a river. It's all very elaborate and beautiful.

The pop-ups themselves are from original paintings by Chuck Fischer. His work is inspired by classic artwork through the ages from the Babylonians to the Renaissance. Each original pop-up is accompanied by small booklets and/or foldouts with images from classic paintings and text.

And speaking of the text, ANGELS is not just eye-popping eye candy. The accompanying text, written by Curtis Flowers, delves into the very earliest recorded references to angels and covers all the different forms of angels as conceived across the world's cultures and throughout the centuries. It is well-researched, interesting, and informative. It's rich in details that I think will be new to most readers without being inaccessible in a scholarly way. My interest was piqued, and I intend to a little more research on my own.

ANGELS is a gorgeous book to behold full of fascinating information. It would make a wonderful gift for anyone with an interest in angels, art, or world history. It's sure to spark plenty of ooo's, ahhh's, and conversation. Don't miss out on it!

Further information about the construction of this book:
Kathy at Bermudaonion's Weblog has posted a fascinating interview with Bruce Foster, the paper engineer who put Fischer's vision into three dimensions. He's an extraordinarily talented artist, and you can click here to read Kathy's interview with him. If you'd like up to 5 extra entries in the giveaway I'm hosting for this book, read Kathy's interview and come back and tell me, in up to 5 separate comments, things you learned or were particularly interested in about Bruce Foster and his work.

About the author (from the publisher):
Chuck Fischer's paintings hang in some of the finest residences in the world. His designs have been reproduced on holiday ornaments and home furnishings, including wallpaper and fabrics in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He is the author of five previous pop-up books--The White House, Great American Houses and Gardens, Christmas in New York, Christmas Around the World, and the forthcoming In The Beginning. He lives in New York and Florida.

Click here to visit the author's website.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winner must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 5, 2009.

• The winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from the winner, I will draw another name.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for supplying my review copy and
for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
This contest is now closed.