Here’s an interesting project on Kickstarter.  It consists of 5 accordion books covering the 280 million years of prehistoric life.  $25 for 1 book and a t-shirt or $50 for all 5 books.  It covers the Cambrian Explosion, the Permian Mass Extinction, the Devonian transition to land, and much more… Check it out!

“The Paleozoic” is a series of five illustrated accordion books about the era before the dinosaurs. Starting from the Cambrian explosion to the Permian’s great dying, the books explain the major events and evolutionary milestones of each period in plain language. Illustrated and written over the course of 5 years by Estrella Vega, this series was originally silkscreen printed and handbound in very small editions. This Kickstarter’s goal is to raise funds to offset print 500 sets of this 5 book series (for 2500 books total) so as to make them affordable and available to a greater audience.

The inspiration for this project came from the realization that most people don’t know what preceded the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs, because they were huge and fearsome looking animals, dominate our idea of prehistoric life. Though the Paleozoic doesn’t boast huge animals (with a few exceptions), it nonetheless laid the foundation of our modern world: from establishing the basic body plans of all existing life forms, to creating the coal deposits that fueled our industrial revolution. Through this series, I hope to demystify the events and life forms of that era to the lay person.

Each book will have an embossed hardcover and measure 4.75 inches wide by 6 inches tall. The accordions unfold to a 108-inch long illustration. Each accordion illustration flows into the next to make one mega picture measuring 42 feet. The accordions fit into a pocket on the inside covers and can be detached to be used as wall art.