Pterry fans: best Xmas present ever?

Cafe Society
1

I was astounded yesterday to open a gift from my mom and see The Unseen University Cut-Out Book. I had no idea that such a thing existed, and it’s an incredible production. I’ve never seen anything like it.

As a kid, I spent many hours building paper houses (like Victorian mansions, complicated Welsh castles, etc.), and my mom knew she had to get it for me. It looks as though it would take years of work!

Anyhow, you may all envy me now, for I have the Unseen University. I will never have time to build the whole thing (I’m thinking I’ll do the library, though), but even paging through the book is something else.

2

But how do you make the Library larger on the inside than it is on the outside??

3

:smiley: I figure, as a librarian myself, something mystic will happen and L-space will manifest in my paper Library.

(Yay! I was about to endure the ignominy of a completely reply-less thread. Thank you!)

4

You build it inside out, duh! :wink:

5

Not to rain on the OP’s parade (wish I had the cut-out book myself), but if we’re talking miniature replicas of Discworld and/or Ankh-Morpork and/or Unseen University, I don’t think you can trump Bernard Pearson’s replica UU – after all, if they’re good enough for Pterry to use in his novels (Night Watch)…

6

Coolness. Many years ago, I gave my brother Nanny Ogg’s cookbook. I always regretted not getting a copy for myself.

7

I’ve seen the cut-out book and it looks like that is what it is based on.

I thought about getting it for myself but it looks like a lot of work to build and I’ve never done anything like it before. Only Airfix kits which are a different kettle of eels.

Maybe I shouldn’t be such a wimp. Does anyone know how long it should take to make and how tricky is it as cut-out-kits go?

8

Yes, that Bernard Pearson UU is exactly what I’ve got, right down to the scary metal spheres on the top of the High Energy Magic building–small spheres are very difficult in paper!

Small Clanger, not to scare you off, but this is no project for a beginner in the building-things-out-of-paper area. It is complex and exacting, and would take me at least a couple of months if I spent every evening on it. If you would like to give it a try (and I think you should if you want to!) I would strongly suggest that you start with a beginner project in order to hone your mad skillz before tackling this one. Take a look at the Dover Cut and Assemble line or the Usborne Cut-Out Model books (search on “cut-out models” in the series space) and see if there’s a small project you would like to try.