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Game of Thrones: A Pop-up Guide to Westeros
Inspired by the Emmy Award-winning title sequence that opens each episode of the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros is guaranteed to thrill the show's legions of fans.
Featuring stunning pop-up recreations of several key locations from the series, including the formidable castle of Winterfell, the lavish capital city King's Landing, and the Wall's stark majesty, this book takes readers into the world of the series like never before.
Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros features five stunning spreads that fold out to create a remarkable pop-up map of Westeros, as well as numerous mini-pops that bring to life iconic elements of the show, such as direwolves, White Walkers, giants, and dragons. All the pops are accompanied by insightful text that relays the rich history of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond, forming a dynamic reference guide to the world of Game of Thrones.
Visually spectacular and enthrallingly interactive, Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros sets a new standard for pop-up books and perfectly captures the epic scope and imagination of the series.
Featuring stunning pop-up recreations of several key locations from the series, including the formidable castle of Winterfell, the lavish capital city King's Landing, and the Wall's stark majesty, this book takes readers into the world of the series like never before.
Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros features five stunning spreads that fold out to create a remarkable pop-up map of Westeros, as well as numerous mini-pops that bring to life iconic elements of the show, such as direwolves, White Walkers, giants, and dragons. All the pops are accompanied by insightful text that relays the rich history of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond, forming a dynamic reference guide to the world of Game of Thrones.
Visually spectacular and enthrallingly interactive, Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros sets a new standard for pop-up books and perfectly captures the epic scope and imagination of the series.
5 pages, Hardcover
First published March 11, 2014
14 people are currently reading
2450 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 9, 2016
This is both a complete waste of money and a cool piece of fun. It took me a year to decide to buy it as I just didn’t want to waste my money completely. It does look very good when it’s all set up, and the idea behind it is very clever. However, it’s a pop up guide. I mean how many times can you actually get it out and enjoy it? Not many really, the novelty quickly wears off. But, it is still fun to set up. Therefore, the best way to describe this is as a piece of frivolous, temporary, fun.
It looks great
The locations that are covered do look very authentic. They match the opening titles of the television series superbly, and are really quite quaint. The Wall and Winterfell are especially good. The Eyrie seemed a little wonky, but I do think that was a fault with my copy. The descriptions that come with some of the pieces (e.g. Kingsgaurd definition) are very dumbed down. They are more appropriate to a television audience rather than those that have read the book. I wouldn’t call the descriptions completely patronising, but they were a little unnecessary. I’d have preferred more locations.
It is very easy to set up; it comes with detailed instructions that only a moron could mess up. The pop-ups are nowhere near as fragile as they appear, thankfully. I still strongly advise against getting this out when there is a cat in the room. My cat, the little lion that she is, pounced on Winterfell. They both managed to survive the encounter, somehow. So, I think this is quite durable for a pop-up guide. Once you’ve managed to set this up once you probably won’t need to bother with the instructions ever again because it is very user friendly. Just keep those cats out of the way!
But, it’s not complete
The main problem with this is that it was released far too early. It is nowhere near comprehensive enough. The locations only cover up to season three of the T.V show, so this guide to Westeros is very limited. This should have been published one the entire series is finished and done with because as it stands this is very basic. I think anything that doesn’t include a representation of Dorne, High garden and Casterly Rock could never be considered a guide of this fantasy universe. This should have been created in a few years’ time when the song of ice and fire had well and truly been sung.
Moreover, some of the pop-ups can’t be out at the same time. It is impossible to have the Iron Throne and Dragonstone out together. This makes the incompleteness felt even more so. I was very disappointed with this because I wanted it all out at once, and not have to take bits apart to look other pieces. This is the same with the little description pieces; they just get in each other’s way if you try to have too many out at once. However, it does still look very good, even if it’s not complete.
Overall, this is a welcome addition to my George. R. R. Martin collection. I do think it could have been much better though. I think Westeros and Essos should have their own separate guides once all their locations have been covered in the T.V show. Or, better yet, give us an original representation more a kin to the books that the screen.
A incomplete three stars
It looks great
The locations that are covered do look very authentic. They match the opening titles of the television series superbly, and are really quite quaint. The Wall and Winterfell are especially good. The Eyrie seemed a little wonky, but I do think that was a fault with my copy. The descriptions that come with some of the pieces (e.g. Kingsgaurd definition) are very dumbed down. They are more appropriate to a television audience rather than those that have read the book. I wouldn’t call the descriptions completely patronising, but they were a little unnecessary. I’d have preferred more locations.
It is very easy to set up; it comes with detailed instructions that only a moron could mess up. The pop-ups are nowhere near as fragile as they appear, thankfully. I still strongly advise against getting this out when there is a cat in the room. My cat, the little lion that she is, pounced on Winterfell. They both managed to survive the encounter, somehow. So, I think this is quite durable for a pop-up guide. Once you’ve managed to set this up once you probably won’t need to bother with the instructions ever again because it is very user friendly. Just keep those cats out of the way!
But, it’s not complete
The main problem with this is that it was released far too early. It is nowhere near comprehensive enough. The locations only cover up to season three of the T.V show, so this guide to Westeros is very limited. This should have been published one the entire series is finished and done with because as it stands this is very basic. I think anything that doesn’t include a representation of Dorne, High garden and Casterly Rock could never be considered a guide of this fantasy universe. This should have been created in a few years’ time when the song of ice and fire had well and truly been sung.
Moreover, some of the pop-ups can’t be out at the same time. It is impossible to have the Iron Throne and Dragonstone out together. This makes the incompleteness felt even more so. I was very disappointed with this because I wanted it all out at once, and not have to take bits apart to look other pieces. This is the same with the little description pieces; they just get in each other’s way if you try to have too many out at once. However, it does still look very good, even if it’s not complete.
Overall, this is a welcome addition to my George. R. R. Martin collection. I do think it could have been much better though. I think Westeros and Essos should have their own separate guides once all their locations have been covered in the T.V show. Or, better yet, give us an original representation more a kin to the books that the screen.
A incomplete three stars
September 12, 2015
This is the most amazing piece of paper engineering I have ever seen.
A collector's item for Game of Thrones fans that's incredibly beautiful and extremelly well produced. I've seen a lot of pop-up books but never one with this level of detail and complexity. It's simple stunning from the first page. Just look (stay with me, the best part is at the end of the review).
The beautifullly designed cover
On the first page, we have King's Landing
Then, the Eyrie
Winterfell
The Wall
And the continent of Essos, featuring Pentos, Qarth, Vaes Dothrak and Astapor
But that's not all, every page has a lot of extra pop-up content, about places, people, objects or events, like the iron throne, the tourney of the hand, the direwolves, giants, whitewalkers, dragons and unsullied (and a lot more)
And here comes the best part: The whole book can be spread in a giant map of Westeros and Essos which looks absolutely amazing!
Also, when spread, it reveals another detail: the sun, as seen in the show's opening sequence
I love this book, and I really admire the genius mind of Matthew Reinhart and his team for the hard work it must have been to design a book so beautiful, that doesn't fail to deliver an amazing sensation of wonder on each page and every detail, and that also works extremely well for something so complex. Bravo (or should I say, Braavo?... maybe on the next book)
A collector's item for Game of Thrones fans that's incredibly beautiful and extremelly well produced. I've seen a lot of pop-up books but never one with this level of detail and complexity. It's simple stunning from the first page. Just look (stay with me, the best part is at the end of the review).
The beautifullly designed cover
On the first page, we have King's Landing
Then, the Eyrie
Winterfell
The Wall
And the continent of Essos, featuring Pentos, Qarth, Vaes Dothrak and Astapor
But that's not all, every page has a lot of extra pop-up content, about places, people, objects or events, like the iron throne, the tourney of the hand, the direwolves, giants, whitewalkers, dragons and unsullied (and a lot more)
And here comes the best part: The whole book can be spread in a giant map of Westeros and Essos which looks absolutely amazing!
Also, when spread, it reveals another detail: the sun, as seen in the show's opening sequence
I love this book, and I really admire the genius mind of Matthew Reinhart and his team for the hard work it must have been to design a book so beautiful, that doesn't fail to deliver an amazing sensation of wonder on each page and every detail, and that also works extremely well for something so complex. Bravo (or should I say, Braavo?... maybe on the next book)
November 4, 2025
This is cool! It's not a book so much as an artifact, a toy, a work of three-dimensional art, but there are a lot of interesting little factoid-packets included, and most of us don't hesitate to list art books here, so here we go. It owes a lot more to the first couple of years of the HBO television series than to the Martin novels, and it displays more engineering genius than literary prowess, but... it's really cool and looks great and is a lot of fun to play with! (Dragons not included.)
September 23, 2019
I actually bought and first read this book several years ago but reviewing Matthew Reinhart's Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts recently made me realise I never got around to posting pictures of Westeros. These books are both just so much fun to look through. Each page has so much detail and there are lots of little additional pop outs showing things like the Iron Throne and things like the Direwolves and White Walkers. Let's face it this is never going to be the kind of book you look through regularly and it's a bit too bulky to display but it's still enjoyable to pull out and flip through occasionally.
Each page can be looked at separately or you can unfold the entire book to create a huge pop-up map which reminds me a lot of the opening credits from the TV show. It's a bit fiddly to fold out so you need to be careful as you do it but although there are easy to follow instructions it really can be opened out by feel. The only downside of having the entire map unfolded is that it's so big it makes it hard to focus on the smaller details from each page so I think on balance I'm unlikely to open it out very often no matter how cool it looks.
King's Landing
The Eyrie
Winterfell
The Wall
The Continent of Essos
The entire map unfolded
Each page can be looked at separately or you can unfold the entire book to create a huge pop-up map which reminds me a lot of the opening credits from the TV show. It's a bit fiddly to fold out so you need to be careful as you do it but although there are easy to follow instructions it really can be opened out by feel. The only downside of having the entire map unfolded is that it's so big it makes it hard to focus on the smaller details from each page so I think on balance I'm unlikely to open it out very often no matter how cool it looks.
King's Landing
The Eyrie
Winterfell
The Wall
The Continent of Essos
The entire map unfolded
March 1, 2015
I am, what you'd call, more of an "uneducated" Game of Thrones fan. By that I mean that I am still in my TV-series stage of fandom and haven't gotten around to reading the novels yet. I will, eventually, but there's the issue of fitting fiction into my non-fiction To Read list.
There is not a doubt in my mind that the books are magic, but the series is nothing short of spectacular itself. It is cinematic art, starting with the screenplay (based on brilliant books, of course), the acting, the high scale budget that allows stunning CGI effects and down to the intro: the Emmy Award–winning credits sequence that this pop-up book brings to life. I always loved the expression "the Devil is in the detail", because it notes the value of the little things - something that may seem insignificant to others, can actually make or break a concept. GoT is an awesome series, but it would be short of awesome without its opening theme music and title sequence. Just the simple fact that a video like that or a book like this was created, is a testament to the passion everyone involved in this project has.
I will readily admit, that getting this beautiful book indulges the child in me that wanted to somehow own a copy of that gear-spinning map.
There is not a doubt in my mind that the books are magic, but the series is nothing short of spectacular itself. It is cinematic art, starting with the screenplay (based on brilliant books, of course), the acting, the high scale budget that allows stunning CGI effects and down to the intro: the Emmy Award–winning credits sequence that this pop-up book brings to life. I always loved the expression "the Devil is in the detail", because it notes the value of the little things - something that may seem insignificant to others, can actually make or break a concept. GoT is an awesome series, but it would be short of awesome without its opening theme music and title sequence. Just the simple fact that a video like that or a book like this was created, is a testament to the passion everyone involved in this project has.
I will readily admit, that getting this beautiful book indulges the child in me that wanted to somehow own a copy of that gear-spinning map.
August 15, 2017
Velmi netypicky zpracovaná knih, ve které si sice moc nepočtete, ale rozhodně je to velice hezký doplněk sbírky :)
April 7, 2014
AN INCREDIBLE GAME OF THRONES POP-UP BOOK THAT UNFOLDS INTO A HUGE DIMENSIONAL MAP OF WESTEROS
As a big fan of Game of Thrones, I was happy to get my hands on this Westeros pop-up book. But oh my goodness, I had no idea how amazing a pop-up book could be! With five spreads and 33 pops, the book is fun enough as a beautiful pop-up. But then I noticed a mysterious sheet of paper – titled “Unfolding the Map” – taped to the back of the book with illos that looked like origami instructions. Huh? I figured there was a pull-out map inside the book that I missed. But as I followed the somewhat complicated steps (okay, I had to call Mark into the office to help me out, and it took us over five minutes to properly unfold the thing), I realized this wasn’t just your typical paper map we were dealing with – we were unfolding the actual book (almost as tricky to do as one of those intricate puzzle boxes from Japan) until it turned into a very large, interactive, three-dimensional atlas of the Seven Kingdoms.
I’m blown away with this pop-up-book-map. There are so many surprises. Once we turned it into the map I spent a long time reading all of the information in the pull-out tabs (so great to get all of the lands and kingdom history straight), only to later discover I’d missed a bunch of mini pop-ups that were right in front of me! This “book” serves as a great reference guide to the history, kingdoms, characters, and layout of Westeros, as well as a conversation piece of art. And it comes just in time – season 4 starts April 6, 2014. – Carla Sinclair
Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros
by Matthew Reinhart (paper engineer) and Michael Komarck (illustrator)
Insight Editions
2014, 9.25 x 11
$42 Buy a copy on Amazon
As a big fan of Game of Thrones, I was happy to get my hands on this Westeros pop-up book. But oh my goodness, I had no idea how amazing a pop-up book could be! With five spreads and 33 pops, the book is fun enough as a beautiful pop-up. But then I noticed a mysterious sheet of paper – titled “Unfolding the Map” – taped to the back of the book with illos that looked like origami instructions. Huh? I figured there was a pull-out map inside the book that I missed. But as I followed the somewhat complicated steps (okay, I had to call Mark into the office to help me out, and it took us over five minutes to properly unfold the thing), I realized this wasn’t just your typical paper map we were dealing with – we were unfolding the actual book (almost as tricky to do as one of those intricate puzzle boxes from Japan) until it turned into a very large, interactive, three-dimensional atlas of the Seven Kingdoms.
I’m blown away with this pop-up-book-map. There are so many surprises. Once we turned it into the map I spent a long time reading all of the information in the pull-out tabs (so great to get all of the lands and kingdom history straight), only to later discover I’d missed a bunch of mini pop-ups that were right in front of me! This “book” serves as a great reference guide to the history, kingdoms, characters, and layout of Westeros, as well as a conversation piece of art. And it comes just in time – season 4 starts April 6, 2014. – Carla Sinclair
Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros
by Matthew Reinhart (paper engineer) and Michael Komarck (illustrator)
Insight Editions
2014, 9.25 x 11
$42 Buy a copy on Amazon
June 9, 2016
I've owned this book over a year but finally sat down to actually read it instead of just showing it to other people! The snippets of information that accompany impressive pop-up constructions of castles and creatures are surprisingly useful in understanding the geography and political history of the Seven Kingdoms. Fortunately, I don't have to lay it out like a map to read it because refolding the darn thing can be a formidable challenge.
June 2, 2014
En dos palabras: im-presionante.
July 8, 2016
5.0*
Naprosto úžasná kniha s nádhernými modely. S tímhle si někdo fakt vyhrál!
Naprosto úžasná kniha s nádhernými modely. S tímhle si někdo fakt vyhrál!
December 29, 2024
14 pages lol that’s gonna kill my average for the year 😂
Nah but this book is amazing!! Of course it’s “only” a popup book so whether it’s worth it or not idk but I got it as a gift and I absolutely love it, it’s got so many little details I was just grinning like an idiot the whole time. The only con is it’s show lore not book lore but even as someone who’s read the series half a dozen times and hasn’t watched the show since it ended, I don’t even care, this book is just too cool!
Nah but this book is amazing!! Of course it’s “only” a popup book so whether it’s worth it or not idk but I got it as a gift and I absolutely love it, it’s got so many little details I was just grinning like an idiot the whole time. The only con is it’s show lore not book lore but even as someone who’s read the series half a dozen times and hasn’t watched the show since it ended, I don’t even care, this book is just too cool!
December 15, 2020
Un gran libro 3D
August 22, 2025
I have never owned anything as cool as this
January 24, 2019
Omg I love this!! If you are a game of thrones fan this is an absolute must! It's so detailed and beautiful and very cleverly done. Definitely worth the money 😊
July 8, 2017
If you're a die-hard fan of the television series or books, YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE.
I purchased this expecting a readable book that had pop ups on each page, but I didn't realise that it all unfolds to assemble into one GIANT 3D MAP OF WESTEROS - including King's Landing and the Wall!
It has fun little tidbits about the major houses and landmarks in the ASOIAF, so it's interesting to read as well as bloody glorious to look at.
I cannot fathom the amount of work and engineering that goes into producing a masterpiece like this, and Matthew Christian Reinhart deserves ALL of the awards.
My only problem is that I don't have a space in my house where I can display it 24/7!
I purchased this expecting a readable book that had pop ups on each page, but I didn't realise that it all unfolds to assemble into one GIANT 3D MAP OF WESTEROS - including King's Landing and the Wall!
It has fun little tidbits about the major houses and landmarks in the ASOIAF, so it's interesting to read as well as bloody glorious to look at.
I cannot fathom the amount of work and engineering that goes into producing a masterpiece like this, and Matthew Christian Reinhart deserves ALL of the awards.
My only problem is that I don't have a space in my house where I can display it 24/7!
October 18, 2015
Absolutely incredible re-creation of Westeros and across the narrow sea. Pop-ups are huge, and the ability to unfold it into a map is crazy. Highly recommended for any Ice and Fire collector like myself.
May 19, 2014
An amazing pop up book with stunning illustrations and detail that is ideal for any fan of Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones.
May 12, 2015
Book Review by: Sharon Powers.
The Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide To Westeros, is a newly-released pop-up book by Illustrator, Michael Ko- marck and Designer (Paper Engineer), Matthew Christian Reinhart; this book was released on March 11, 2014, just over a week ago. So, it is a brand-new entry into the pop-up book realm.
When I saw the promotional photos of this book, I preordered it so I could get it on its day of release. I've been anxiously awaiting its arrival, and since this book is already a rock star in the world of pop-up books, I wanted to bring it to you today so you could see just what all the fuss is about.
Insight Editions can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
InsightEditions and on Twitter at: @insighteditions
THE BOOK: The cover is hardcover; the jewels, artifacts, clasps and title are embossed, the edges treated with faux stitching around the edges. The book measures 11.3 x 9.6 x 2.5 (unopened). The book can be viewed one page/pop-up at a time, or it can be unhinged and folded out to about 46" x 30" displaying a full three dimensional map of Westeros (and Essos).
The book, through Insight Editions, and in association with Roots of Peace, has stated that they will plant two trees for every tree that is used in the manufacturing of the book, Game of Thrones, Pop-Up Guide to Westeros. Roots of Peace is an international organization dedicated and renowned for its humanitarian work dedicated to the eradication of land mines, reclaiming land-mine land and war-torn land into safe wildlife habitats and productive farms. Roots of Peace plants vineyards and trees to provide farmers with skill and to foster sustainable land use. For example, in Afghanistan, Roots of Peace plans to plant two million fruit trees to encourage farming, to provide farmers with additional farming skills, to foster sustainable land use, and to reclaim land-mine areas.[5]
THE POP-UPS:
This pop-up book was designed to be a pop-up guide--a guide to Westeros, not a guide to the whole of the epic novels created by George R.R. Martin. You will be disappointed if you expect it to recreate the whole series of books. But, it does what is says it will do, which is, act as a general guide to the land of "Westeros."
It introduces the reader to the key locations and provides key concepts in understanding the land, the religions, the houses (political structure, the seven kingdoms), inter- esting and unique peoples (i.e. The Shadow Assassin, The Night Watch, Giants (10' tall), Wildlings, White Walkers, the Dothraki, and the Unsullied) and even some of the creatures in the books series (dire wolves, ravens, and dragons).
The pop-ups are recreations of the key locations in the world of Westeros. The five MAJOR pop-ups include the following:
One side of King's Landing (the other side
shows the gate and Flea Bottoms).
The Iron Throne--located in King's Landing.
King's Landing:
King's Landing is the capital of the Seven Kingdoms and named for Aegon I Targaryen. King's Landing is the seat of the Iron Throne--which the authors have thoughtfully included. The infamous "Iron Throne" is recreated in the pop-up image on the the right. Also at King's Landing is the Red Keep, the Great Sept of Baelor, and the squalid Flea Bottoms in which so many poor live.).
(2) The Eyrie:
The Eyrie is located in the Mountains of the Moon in the Vale of Arryn known for its unique location as an impenetrable fortress on the mountain peak known as the Giant's Lance.
One of the notable features of "The Eyrie," is the justice that is met at "The Moon Door." The final justice that the accused meet at The Moon Door is decidedly final and terrifying. A "weirwood hatch" is built into the floor that is opened up when needed to give the accused their day of judgment. One push through the opening and the person falls hundreds of feet to their death--as the book indicates, there is ample time for the unfortunates "to contemplate their crimes on the way down."
This important house has played a pivotal role in George R.R. Martin's epic novels. The Lord of The Eyrie, Jon Arryn, hand of King Robert Baratheon, was poisoned at King's Landing--his wife, Lysa, grieved to the point of "paranoia and madness." Lysa then ruled the House--the very one that brought Tyrian's champion (Bronn) to battle and defeat the Captain of the Guard, Ser Vardis Egen, to win freedom (for Tyrian and the sell swords) and to escape death at the Moon Gate.
This sprawling pop-up shows the general layout of Winterfell, with the
"Heart Tree" in the background--a lovingly preserved tribute to the Old Gods.
(3) Winterfell:
Home of House Stark. Hot springs warm the great castle located on the Kingsroad, be- tween King's Landing and the Wall. Its great crypts house the bones of the great Kings from the North; it also has a large Godswood "Heart Tree"--a Sacred tree to those who worship the old gods. You can see the "Heart Tree" in the center back of the photo, here.
(4) The Wall: The massive Wall was built 8,000 years before and acts as a barrier between the uncivilized and icey north where whitewalkers and wildlings reside--the Wall is manned by "The Night's Watch," men who swear a solemn oath, for life, to protect all. The 300 mile-long wall's main keep is "Castle Black."
This page has four additional pop-ups: one of the White Walkers, one of the Giants, one of Longclaw (the Valyrian steel sword given to Jon Snow by the Commander of the Night Watch), and one of Castle Black --home of the "Night Watch."
(5) The Continent of Essos (& Vaes Dothrak): Located across the Narrow Sea from Westeros, the continent is home to a variety of eclectic cultures and influences:
After Khal Drogo dies, everyone expects Daenerys to reside,
here, in Vaes Dothrak, in quiet retirement with the other
widows of fallen leaders. The Unsullied also reside in Essos,
eventually coming under Daenery's command.
The port city of Pentos is known for trading, bartering, and...brokering the marriage of Daenerys Targaryen to Dothraki horselord Khal Drogo. Qarth, another powerful port city is known for its opulence based on slave labor. Daenerys Targaryn ends up here to play a dramatic part in the city's future.
This is a pop-up of "Drogon" (named after Daenery's dead husband, Khal
Drogo); he is the largest and fiercest of the three dragons. His egg was black with red swirls of color. The green dragon is Rhaegal (named for Daenery's dead brother, killed by King Robert), and the white (cream) colored dragon is called Viserion (named for her brother Viserys)--he has gold accents.
The city of Vaes Dothrak is yet another important location on the continent of Essos. It is the only city of the nomadic Dothraki. The famous "Horse Gate" greets visitors--no visitor can carry weapons or shed blood within the city walls.
INCLUDED INFORMATION IN THE FORM OF PULL TABS AND PULL-OUT FLAPS:
A typical "Pull" tab with information about the various
houses--here we see House Lannister (Hear Me Roar!).
Every page includes Pull Tabs that contain information about the book series. One type of information focuses on the various Houses in the book series, including "House Lannister" (Hear Me Roar); "House Baratheon" (Ours Is the Fury); "House Tyrell" (Growing Strong), "House Greyjoy" (We Do Not Sow); "House Stark" (Winter is Coming); "House Arryn" (As High As Honor); "House Tully" (Family, Duty, Honor); and "House Targaryen" (Fire and Blood).
Other tabs and pull outs include information about the history of Westeros and other miscellaneous tidbits. Also included are facts about Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms and the Rebellion Against the Mad King Targaryen, for example.
And if that's not enough miscellaneous info, a veritable plethora of topics are available, everything from Kings Landing, for example, and the Kingsguard to the Tourney of the Hand (see photo to the right). Religious information is also provided about faith in the Seven Kingdoms; info about The Wall is also included along with The Night's Watch, Longclaw (a unique sword of Valyrian steel), and the Wildlings.
Information about the Continent of Essos is also featured, including the trading port cities of Pentos and Qarth, and facts about the city of Vaes Dothrak as well as general information about the continent, itself.
THE FULLY OPENED POP-UP MAP OF WESTEROS!
If you are like me, you already are quite impressed by the awesome pop-ups we have viewed, above. Some of them, all by themselves, are simply stunning--there's no other way to describe these pop-ups. But let me tell you, if you think these pop-ups are impressive, just wait until you see what I have for you, next.
The book and the pop-ups have been so designed as to open up completely. That is, all the pop-ups can be viewed at once--the whole view of Westeros as conceptualized by the very talented team that created this book. I think it highly likely that inspiration was drawn from the opening sequence of the HBO series, Game of Thrones. Check out this trailer, and tell me what you think.
So, what do you think? Looks pretty inspirational, doesn't it?
You need not worry about damaging your pop-up book by opening it up all the way--if you follow the directions! I have opened my book up a number of times already, and it remains undamaged--just be careful and go slow in opening it up. The publishers have thoughtfully provided "Instructions" for "Unfolding the Map." Simply follow those directions. Additionally, I have provided photos for you to see what it looks like at each step along the way. Let's begin:
(1) Place the book face down, then spin it around so it is also upside down as it faces towards you. The spine of the book has a magnet that permits the spine to be unfolded or detached from the book--don't worry, it won't hurt the book. Just unfold the hinge on the spine like my helpful son is doing for me in the photo.
(2) Grip all the pages in your right hand (as my son is doing) except for the two at the front of the book--the two pages attached to the front cover (these are the King's Landing pages).
(3) Carefully unfold the pages you are gripping away from the front cover until you can see three sections. (Not shown) Then...
(4) Grab the back cover of the book (and the pages under the back cover), lift them up to vertical...
...Twist gently (be careful not to tear anything!) until it opens up and you can lay the page out flat.
You will see--as here--the Continent of Essos and the globe seen in the HBO trailer (see bottom left of photo).
In this photo and in the photo just above this one, you can see the preprinted directions for you to follow. After you do this once or twice, you won't need them any more, but I highly suggest you save them, anyway!
(5) NEXT: In the photo, just below, you can see the next step. I am now standing at the other end of the table.
...just continue to unfold the sections, carefully, as I have cautioned you all along.
Open up the ice Wall and then Winterfell--you can also see Winterfell just in front of the Wall.
Two more sections remain...just continue unfolding the remaining sections.
The next section is the Eyrie and the last section to be revealed is Kings Landing.
Voila! The map is now fully opened. Approximately 46" x 30", the map of Westeros is impressive. To reassemble the book, simply perform the steps in reverse order.
I have an extensive collection of pop-up books, and from my experience, this is the most awesome pop-up book I have ever seen! I have never seen anything like it.
The paper engineering (by Michael Reinhart) is par excellence, and the beautifully rendered images by Michael Komarck are nothing short of gorgeous! Together, these authors have impressed someone who has become a bit jaded as far as pop-up books go. This book is AWESOME!
NOTICE: Of course, you can't see the images as they appear on my website, sorry about that. But if you would like to see all the beautiful images in this book, just take a look at them on my blog at Sharon's Love of Books: http://sharonsloveofbooks.blogspot.co...
MY RECOMMENDATIONS AND RATING FOR GAME OF THRONES: A POP-UP GUIDE TO WESTEROS:
The only cautions I have for you is to remember this is not a pop-up book for children. It is too demanding of care for someone immature. Additionally, even adults should be cautious in handling the book to prevent damage to the beautiful pop-ups.
My rating for this book: 4.5 Stars! I round up for my goodreads rating.
This beautiful book is very easy to rate. I only took off .5 stars off for the fragility of the book). It is beautiful, and the kinesthetic part of me loves handling these beautiful pop-ups. I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I have.
Thank you for joining me this week to look at the Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide To Westeros. Please join me again next week as we will look at a new book.
Remember to pick up something to read this week. Reading is enjoyable, so don't make too much work out of it. Let the words fill you up and bring you joy. All my love to you all.
Until next time...many happy pages of reading! Sharon Powers.
The Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide To Westeros, is a newly-released pop-up book by Illustrator, Michael Ko- marck and Designer (Paper Engineer), Matthew Christian Reinhart; this book was released on March 11, 2014, just over a week ago. So, it is a brand-new entry into the pop-up book realm.
When I saw the promotional photos of this book, I preordered it so I could get it on its day of release. I've been anxiously awaiting its arrival, and since this book is already a rock star in the world of pop-up books, I wanted to bring it to you today so you could see just what all the fuss is about.
Insight Editions can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
InsightEditions and on Twitter at: @insighteditions
THE BOOK: The cover is hardcover; the jewels, artifacts, clasps and title are embossed, the edges treated with faux stitching around the edges. The book measures 11.3 x 9.6 x 2.5 (unopened). The book can be viewed one page/pop-up at a time, or it can be unhinged and folded out to about 46" x 30" displaying a full three dimensional map of Westeros (and Essos).
The book, through Insight Editions, and in association with Roots of Peace, has stated that they will plant two trees for every tree that is used in the manufacturing of the book, Game of Thrones, Pop-Up Guide to Westeros. Roots of Peace is an international organization dedicated and renowned for its humanitarian work dedicated to the eradication of land mines, reclaiming land-mine land and war-torn land into safe wildlife habitats and productive farms. Roots of Peace plants vineyards and trees to provide farmers with skill and to foster sustainable land use. For example, in Afghanistan, Roots of Peace plans to plant two million fruit trees to encourage farming, to provide farmers with additional farming skills, to foster sustainable land use, and to reclaim land-mine areas.[5]
THE POP-UPS:
This pop-up book was designed to be a pop-up guide--a guide to Westeros, not a guide to the whole of the epic novels created by George R.R. Martin. You will be disappointed if you expect it to recreate the whole series of books. But, it does what is says it will do, which is, act as a general guide to the land of "Westeros."
It introduces the reader to the key locations and provides key concepts in understanding the land, the religions, the houses (political structure, the seven kingdoms), inter- esting and unique peoples (i.e. The Shadow Assassin, The Night Watch, Giants (10' tall), Wildlings, White Walkers, the Dothraki, and the Unsullied) and even some of the creatures in the books series (dire wolves, ravens, and dragons).
The pop-ups are recreations of the key locations in the world of Westeros. The five MAJOR pop-ups include the following:
One side of King's Landing (the other side
shows the gate and Flea Bottoms).
The Iron Throne--located in King's Landing.
King's Landing:
King's Landing is the capital of the Seven Kingdoms and named for Aegon I Targaryen. King's Landing is the seat of the Iron Throne--which the authors have thoughtfully included. The infamous "Iron Throne" is recreated in the pop-up image on the the right. Also at King's Landing is the Red Keep, the Great Sept of Baelor, and the squalid Flea Bottoms in which so many poor live.).
(2) The Eyrie:
The Eyrie is located in the Mountains of the Moon in the Vale of Arryn known for its unique location as an impenetrable fortress on the mountain peak known as the Giant's Lance.
One of the notable features of "The Eyrie," is the justice that is met at "The Moon Door." The final justice that the accused meet at The Moon Door is decidedly final and terrifying. A "weirwood hatch" is built into the floor that is opened up when needed to give the accused their day of judgment. One push through the opening and the person falls hundreds of feet to their death--as the book indicates, there is ample time for the unfortunates "to contemplate their crimes on the way down."
This important house has played a pivotal role in George R.R. Martin's epic novels. The Lord of The Eyrie, Jon Arryn, hand of King Robert Baratheon, was poisoned at King's Landing--his wife, Lysa, grieved to the point of "paranoia and madness." Lysa then ruled the House--the very one that brought Tyrian's champion (Bronn) to battle and defeat the Captain of the Guard, Ser Vardis Egen, to win freedom (for Tyrian and the sell swords) and to escape death at the Moon Gate.
This sprawling pop-up shows the general layout of Winterfell, with the
"Heart Tree" in the background--a lovingly preserved tribute to the Old Gods.
(3) Winterfell:
Home of House Stark. Hot springs warm the great castle located on the Kingsroad, be- tween King's Landing and the Wall. Its great crypts house the bones of the great Kings from the North; it also has a large Godswood "Heart Tree"--a Sacred tree to those who worship the old gods. You can see the "Heart Tree" in the center back of the photo, here.
(4) The Wall: The massive Wall was built 8,000 years before and acts as a barrier between the uncivilized and icey north where whitewalkers and wildlings reside--the Wall is manned by "The Night's Watch," men who swear a solemn oath, for life, to protect all. The 300 mile-long wall's main keep is "Castle Black."
This page has four additional pop-ups: one of the White Walkers, one of the Giants, one of Longclaw (the Valyrian steel sword given to Jon Snow by the Commander of the Night Watch), and one of Castle Black --home of the "Night Watch."
(5) The Continent of Essos (& Vaes Dothrak): Located across the Narrow Sea from Westeros, the continent is home to a variety of eclectic cultures and influences:
After Khal Drogo dies, everyone expects Daenerys to reside,
here, in Vaes Dothrak, in quiet retirement with the other
widows of fallen leaders. The Unsullied also reside in Essos,
eventually coming under Daenery's command.
The port city of Pentos is known for trading, bartering, and...brokering the marriage of Daenerys Targaryen to Dothraki horselord Khal Drogo. Qarth, another powerful port city is known for its opulence based on slave labor. Daenerys Targaryn ends up here to play a dramatic part in the city's future.
This is a pop-up of "Drogon" (named after Daenery's dead husband, Khal
Drogo); he is the largest and fiercest of the three dragons. His egg was black with red swirls of color. The green dragon is Rhaegal (named for Daenery's dead brother, killed by King Robert), and the white (cream) colored dragon is called Viserion (named for her brother Viserys)--he has gold accents.
The city of Vaes Dothrak is yet another important location on the continent of Essos. It is the only city of the nomadic Dothraki. The famous "Horse Gate" greets visitors--no visitor can carry weapons or shed blood within the city walls.
INCLUDED INFORMATION IN THE FORM OF PULL TABS AND PULL-OUT FLAPS:
A typical "Pull" tab with information about the various
houses--here we see House Lannister (Hear Me Roar!).
Every page includes Pull Tabs that contain information about the book series. One type of information focuses on the various Houses in the book series, including "House Lannister" (Hear Me Roar); "House Baratheon" (Ours Is the Fury); "House Tyrell" (Growing Strong), "House Greyjoy" (We Do Not Sow); "House Stark" (Winter is Coming); "House Arryn" (As High As Honor); "House Tully" (Family, Duty, Honor); and "House Targaryen" (Fire and Blood).
Other tabs and pull outs include information about the history of Westeros and other miscellaneous tidbits. Also included are facts about Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms and the Rebellion Against the Mad King Targaryen, for example.
And if that's not enough miscellaneous info, a veritable plethora of topics are available, everything from Kings Landing, for example, and the Kingsguard to the Tourney of the Hand (see photo to the right). Religious information is also provided about faith in the Seven Kingdoms; info about The Wall is also included along with The Night's Watch, Longclaw (a unique sword of Valyrian steel), and the Wildlings.
Information about the Continent of Essos is also featured, including the trading port cities of Pentos and Qarth, and facts about the city of Vaes Dothrak as well as general information about the continent, itself.
THE FULLY OPENED POP-UP MAP OF WESTEROS!
If you are like me, you already are quite impressed by the awesome pop-ups we have viewed, above. Some of them, all by themselves, are simply stunning--there's no other way to describe these pop-ups. But let me tell you, if you think these pop-ups are impressive, just wait until you see what I have for you, next.
The book and the pop-ups have been so designed as to open up completely. That is, all the pop-ups can be viewed at once--the whole view of Westeros as conceptualized by the very talented team that created this book. I think it highly likely that inspiration was drawn from the opening sequence of the HBO series, Game of Thrones. Check out this trailer, and tell me what you think.
So, what do you think? Looks pretty inspirational, doesn't it?
You need not worry about damaging your pop-up book by opening it up all the way--if you follow the directions! I have opened my book up a number of times already, and it remains undamaged--just be careful and go slow in opening it up. The publishers have thoughtfully provided "Instructions" for "Unfolding the Map." Simply follow those directions. Additionally, I have provided photos for you to see what it looks like at each step along the way. Let's begin:
(1) Place the book face down, then spin it around so it is also upside down as it faces towards you. The spine of the book has a magnet that permits the spine to be unfolded or detached from the book--don't worry, it won't hurt the book. Just unfold the hinge on the spine like my helpful son is doing for me in the photo.
(2) Grip all the pages in your right hand (as my son is doing) except for the two at the front of the book--the two pages attached to the front cover (these are the King's Landing pages).
(3) Carefully unfold the pages you are gripping away from the front cover until you can see three sections. (Not shown) Then...
(4) Grab the back cover of the book (and the pages under the back cover), lift them up to vertical...
...Twist gently (be careful not to tear anything!) until it opens up and you can lay the page out flat.
You will see--as here--the Continent of Essos and the globe seen in the HBO trailer (see bottom left of photo).
In this photo and in the photo just above this one, you can see the preprinted directions for you to follow. After you do this once or twice, you won't need them any more, but I highly suggest you save them, anyway!
(5) NEXT: In the photo, just below, you can see the next step. I am now standing at the other end of the table.
...just continue to unfold the sections, carefully, as I have cautioned you all along.
Open up the ice Wall and then Winterfell--you can also see Winterfell just in front of the Wall.
Two more sections remain...just continue unfolding the remaining sections.
The next section is the Eyrie and the last section to be revealed is Kings Landing.
Voila! The map is now fully opened. Approximately 46" x 30", the map of Westeros is impressive. To reassemble the book, simply perform the steps in reverse order.
I have an extensive collection of pop-up books, and from my experience, this is the most awesome pop-up book I have ever seen! I have never seen anything like it.
The paper engineering (by Michael Reinhart) is par excellence, and the beautifully rendered images by Michael Komarck are nothing short of gorgeous! Together, these authors have impressed someone who has become a bit jaded as far as pop-up books go. This book is AWESOME!
NOTICE: Of course, you can't see the images as they appear on my website, sorry about that. But if you would like to see all the beautiful images in this book, just take a look at them on my blog at Sharon's Love of Books: http://sharonsloveofbooks.blogspot.co...
MY RECOMMENDATIONS AND RATING FOR GAME OF THRONES: A POP-UP GUIDE TO WESTEROS:
The only cautions I have for you is to remember this is not a pop-up book for children. It is too demanding of care for someone immature. Additionally, even adults should be cautious in handling the book to prevent damage to the beautiful pop-ups.
My rating for this book: 4.5 Stars! I round up for my goodreads rating.
This beautiful book is very easy to rate. I only took off .5 stars off for the fragility of the book). It is beautiful, and the kinesthetic part of me loves handling these beautiful pop-ups. I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I have.
Thank you for joining me this week to look at the Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide To Westeros. Please join me again next week as we will look at a new book.
Remember to pick up something to read this week. Reading is enjoyable, so don't make too much work out of it. Let the words fill you up and bring you joy. All my love to you all.
Until next time...many happy pages of reading! Sharon Powers.
June 30, 2017
It sounded really cool that the whole book folds out into one big map. And it kind of is. But it doesn't fit together as well as it could and one tower doesn't stay up very well on my copy. And that's basically all it is--the one big trick. There are some small pop-ups, but nothing too exciting. You can look at each large pop-up individually, which is good, but the magnetic spine (necessary so it can come apart to make the big map) comes apart really easily. So some of the pages operate fine, but others just fall apart when you try to look at them. And a map, of course, is static, so you don't get the movement that he's so good at. So it didn't have the impact for me that most of his books do.
July 9, 2017
As a massive fan of the books and TV series, I would say this is a must for any collector! It's simply gorgeous! The engineering that has gone into this pop up book is so precise and delicate, and so clever. It's so detailed and intricate! Thoroughly enjoyed looking through the hidden sections of every page, and then even more folding out the full map!
I accept that it's a bit of a novelty, but definitely worth it for the fun I've had!
I accept that it's a bit of a novelty, but definitely worth it for the fun I've had!
June 27, 2018
OK this "book" is really just a delight for a fan such as me. I admit freely that I would never have bought it for the full price, but I found it on sale, reduced from 1300 crowns to just 200 :D (that is like from 55 dollars to 9) and for that much I am quite content and happy. I really admire the work that went into all the details and intricate cut outs. This is, obviously, both a money grabber and a work of love.
September 13, 2023
I have had this book for a while. I've often flipped through it, but today I sat down and read it/looked at it page by page. In the forward Martin mentions being nervous about Fantasy Flight giving a face to all of his characters. This book was published before the TV show, of course, and while that is true I now have so many of these characters firmly in my head that some of the art was unsatisfactory for that reason. Unfair perhaps, but that is how it goes.
June 22, 2017
Bellissimo! Un libro che lascia a bocca aperta tutti i fan della saga.
Chi non è rimasto affascinato dalla sigla? O chi non canticchia il theme a ripetizione da almeno sette anni? Ed ecco che esce fuori uno dei più bei lavori su Game of Thrones mai visti.
Per saperne di più: http://aboutpopupbooks.altervista.org...
Chi non è rimasto affascinato dalla sigla? O chi non canticchia il theme a ripetizione da almeno sette anni? Ed ecco che esce fuori uno dei più bei lavori su Game of Thrones mai visti.
Per saperne di più: http://aboutpopupbooks.altervista.org...
January 2, 2017
beautiful pop-up of many of the structures in the Game of Thrones books. Also information on characters in the books. And very FUN to play with!
August 25, 2017
This is really cool, very well made, and I love it. However with that being said, WHAT THE HECK AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS. 😂😂
May 20, 2018
It's like the opening credits of the show, the way things pop up when you open the pages!!!
October 25, 2020
Stupendo
September 24, 2023
What an incredible read! I was completely captivated by the story. The characters were so well-developed, and the plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat. Truly an amazing book.
January 11, 2024
Is it a Must? A Need? No. But a Want yes!!!!
Really loved the pop-up and I really felt like being a kid again and how beautiful it is!
Really loved the pop-up and I really felt like being a kid again and how beautiful it is!
July 21, 2024
loved the web series and book both
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews