SMYTH, Iain 1959-

PERSONAL: Born October 6, 1959, in Harpenden, England; son of Owen (a silver polish manufacturer) and Brenda (Blakemore) Smyth; married Alison Cook (an editor), April 1, 1989; children: Samuel, Joshua. Education: Received honors degree from Bristol Polytechnic University.

ADDRESSES: Home—11 Southfield Rd., Cotham, Bristol BS6 6AX, England. E-mail—iainsmyth@blueyonder.co.uk.

CAREER: Writer. Formerly worked as a graphic designer.

MEMBER: Society of Authors.

WRITINGS:

SELF-ILLUSTRATED; AND PAPER ENGINEER

The Mystery of the Russian Ruby: A Pop-up Whodunit, Orchard (London, England), 1994, Dutton (New York, NY), 1996.

(With Jacqueline Crawford) The Eye of the Pharaoh: A Pop-up Whodunit, Dutton (New York, NY), 1995.

Pirate Plunder's Treasure Hunt: A Pop-up Whodunit, Dutton (New York, NY), 1996.

Dig, Dig, Dig It, Crown (New York, NY), 1997, published as Dug the Digger, Orchard (London, England), 1997).

Zoom, Zoom, Fire Engine!, Crown (New York, NY), 1997, published as Ruby the Fire Engine, Orchard (London, England), 1997).

The Quest for the Aztec Gold, Collins (London, England), 1997.

Professor Screwloose, Orchard (London, England), 1998.

Angel Fish: A Pull and Lift Book, Piggy Toes Press (Los Angeles, CA), 2002.

OTHER

(Paper engineer) Michael Ratnett & June Goulding, Dracula Steps Out: A Pop-up Book, Orchard (New York, NY), 1998.

(Paper engineer) Ellen Weiss, Jim Henson's Scary, Scary Monsters, illustrated by Larry Difiori, Muppet Press (New York, NY), 1998.

(Paper engineer, with Glynn Davies) Fiona Pragoff, Where Is Alice's Bear?, interiors designed by Douglas Martin, Bantam Doubleday Dell (New York, NY), 1999. (With Frances Cony) Old McDonald Had a Farm, Orchard (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Michael Ratnett and June Goulding) Monster Train, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS: Former graphic artist Iain Smyth writes and designs pop-up books for young readers that are all the more unique for their multiple endings. The father of two boys, Smyth approached the pop-up form as a learning experience in itself, a sort of interactive work that could help children solve a mystery or puzzle though a series of hidden clues. One of his first titles was The Eye of the Pharaoh: A Pop-up Whodunit. This comic mystery about a jewel that disappears from an Egyptian excavation site is rich with puns—"Doug Sands" is the archeologist and one of the suspects, for instance—and clues are hidden in elaborate tomb walls and mummy cases.

Smyth soon embarked upon a successful solo career as writer, illustrator, and paper engineer in the pop-up genre. For his book Pirate Plunder's Treasure Hunt: A Pop-up Whodunit, an entire three-dimensional ship can be explored by readers looking for the mysterious lost treasure, while a last-page wheel offers three separate conclusions. A Kirkus Reviews critic found Smyth's story lacking in verve, but "as a pop-up, pull-out, flip-open extravaganza, it's awesome!" Another of Smyth's books is The Mystery of the Russian Ruby: A Pop-up Whodunit. Here Smyth writes of a country house party in England at the Countess Wilby's estate, a snowstorm that strands all guests, and a missing gem. Little dossiers, or file packets, slide out of the pages to help young readers draw their own conclusions about the possible criminal motives of each guest and staff member. As for the Wilby Court mansion itself, Smyth constructs hidden rooms and other foils; again, a rotating wheel at the end allows readers to choose a trio of endings. "The paper engineering, not the cast, takes center stage here," noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer, who likened some elements of Smyth's mystery novel style to those of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.