The world’s largest pop-up book is officially on view at the Los Angeles Central Library

Los Angeles loves to make everything into a production. Why should reading get left out? 

Luceros y Penumbras: The World’s Largest Pop-up Book is now on view at the Los Angeles Central Library in Downtown L.A., where the monumental installation transforms the building’s historic interior into something halfway between a storybook and a piece of public art. The free exhibition is on view through November.

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And when they say “large,” they really mean it. Like, new Guinness World Record holder large. When fully opened, the book measures approximately 31-by-20 feet, with its paper structures rising more than 11 feet into the air. The whole thing weighs over 1,800 pounds, but it's made using traditional bookmaking materials, including paper, adhesive and fabric.

Created by L.A. artist and printmaker Daniel González, Luceros y Penumbras was commissioned as the centerpiece of Central Library’s centennial celebration. González drew on his history, the history of Los Angeles and the library’s role as a place where generations of Angelenos come to discover, learn and imagine.

The massive book unfolds across two enormous pop-up spreads, filled with intricate scenes and imagery exploring memory, culture and discovery. Paper engineering is courtesy of Matthew Reinhart, the artist behind numerous elaborate pop-up books, while Goodnight & Co. handled the full-scale engineering and fabrication required to bring the concept to life.

The installation also comes with a display of rare movable books from the library’s Toy Movable Collection, offering a miniature counterpoint to the Guinness-certified behemoth. Best of all, admission is free, and the exhibition is open to all ages. If you’ve ever thought of pop-up books as something reserved for children’s shelves, Luceros y Penumbras is a pretty effective argument for reconsidering that stance.

Los Angeles Central Library turned 100 in July, and the Downtown landmark has spent 2026 celebrating with special events, exhibitions and programs like Luceros y Penumbras.  See what's on view—including the contents of a hundred-year-old time capsule—at Central Library, located at 630 W. 5th St. in DTLA. For more information, click here.