Andy Warhol’s 1967 interactive book recreated by Phaidon and Melcher Media

Publishers Phaidon and Melcher Media, in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation, have completed a five-year project to recreate Andy Warhol’s 1967 interactive art book, ‘Index (Book)’.

The original publication was a highly unconventional pop art object featuring tactile and interactive elements such as pop-ups, stickers, moisture-sensitive tabs, a silver balloon, and a paper accordion that produced sound. It also included a 7-inch flexi-disk attached to a wire spring and a fold-out ‘Do-It-Yourself Nose Job’ image.

To achieve a faithful reproduction, the team dismantled and scanned two surviving intact specimens to develop mechanicals. Technical challenges included sourcing a U.S. company capable of manufacturing flexi-disks and reimagining the silver balloon, which had chemically fused to the pages of original copies. The recreation uses sturdier paper for pop-ups and includes image rights from photographers such as Billy Name, Stephen Shore, and Nat Finkelstein.