Lothar Meggendorfer

Lothar Meggendorfer was a German illustrator and early cartoonist, best remembered as a pioneer of the pop-up book. Born in Munich on 6 November 1847, he began his career at fifteen, with his first published work appearing in the comic weekly *Fliegende Blätter* in 1862. He soon became a regular contributor to the bi-weekly *Münchener Bilderbogen* from 1868, and later founded his own art and satirical magazine, *Meggendorfer-Blätter*, which he published from 1888 to 1905. A prolific creator, he also illustrated numerous books with writer Julius Beck, including the popular *Neues Struwwelpeterbuch* in the 1890s, and designed some forty board games. His signature style combined lively, detailed linework with a keen sense of humor and mechanical ingenuity, making his movable books enduringly popular. Meggendorfer died in his native Munich on 7 July 1925. Today, his legacy endures through the Movable Book Society's biennial Meggendorfer Prize, awarded for excellence in pop-up book artistry.