I’ve been talking to publishers recently about getting my origami book published, and as part of the process I bought a bunch of origami books to see what kind of books are out there from different publishing houses. I don’t usually fold models out of books too much anymore, but I can still get a lot out of reading the diagrams. But in this case I was looking more at the books’ design, layout, photography, and that sort of thing. I also got a few Montroll books that are new and updated versions of his out-of-print classics Origami Sea Life and Prehistoric Origami. The Sea Life book (with Robert Lang) has been split into two new books, Origami Under the Sea and Sea Creatures in Origami. Prehistoric Origami has been replaced by Dinosaur Origami. I have the original of all the these books, but it’s interesting to compare the new versions and see the new models. Some are the same subjects (e.g. Tyranosarus Rex) with a new and updated design approach. Others are all-new subjects. And many favorite models from the orginals made it into the new.
Michelle’s new favorite show is now Dinosaur Train, ever since our trip upstate over Christmas holiday, when she watched the show with her cousin Charlie. Although the colors are too bright and premise is absurd, the show is educational in its own way, and Michelle is now learning about all different kinds of dinosaurs and using the word “hypothesis” alot. So when she saw my new Dinosaur origami book she got really excited, and wanted to know if it contained a Pteranodon. Shaw’nuff it did, and it was one of John’s great classic models, made in a style that was very advanced for the day, but feels quite natural to me now, even as it’s full of clever tricks. So I taught Michelle how to fold it. It’s a complex model, and although she never folded anything that advance before I thought she might be ready. We took it slow and I broke down all the compound steps for her. She did great! When she was done she said, “Daddy I fell like I’m a better folder now that I was before I started this.” Can you tell which one is hers and which one is mine?
