The novelty of a pop-up book is an obvious one, but that’s not a bad thing. What better way to make a story come alive than to have it literally burst forth from the page?

That, of course, the whole concept behind this childhood treasures: open the book, out pops some element of the story, often big, bold and colorful.

The concept is one that has proved time and time again to be an instant pleaser for children, right? Well, vintage pop-up books have been drawing attention to themselves with adult collectors for years.

Hake’s Americana & Collectibles has a superb crop of pop-up books in their current auction, which ends Thursday, September 10, 2009. The books being offered include the exploits of Dick Tracy, Tarzan, Tim Tyler, Terry and the Pirates, Popeye (with the Hag of the Seven Seas and In Among the White Savages) and Mickey Mouse.

The high grade conditions these examples are in are bound to catch the eyes of collectors, if for some reason the pop-ups themselves don’t!