Annotated library

This is the bibliography behind the texts on this site, with a note on what each work delivers and who it serves. It is not a link list: works I have not read do not appear.

History and theory

Henryk Jurkowski — A History of European Puppetry (2 volumes)

The most complete English-language reference on European puppetry, from the medieval period to the twentieth century. Jurkowski is rigorous with sources and patiently dismantles several legends repeated in popular accounts. Dense reading, more useful for consultation than for a straight read-through. For serious research, the obligatory starting point.

Ana Maria Amaral — Teatro de Formas Animadas

A central work in Brazilian scholarship. Amaral organises the field conceptually — mask, object, puppet, shadow — and connects theory to practice on the basis of decades of work. It is the book that gives Portuguese a vocabulary for discussing the field without leaning on literal translation from English. Recommended for performing-arts students and teachers.

Bil Baird — The Art of the Puppet

An illustrated worldwide overview written by a working puppeteer. Less rigorous than Jurkowski on sources, but unmatched in imagery and in the eye of someone who builds. A good first book for readers who want breadth before depth.

Heinrich von Kleist — On the Marionette Theatre (1810)

A short essay of a few pages, and probably the most influential text ever written on the subject. Kleist argues that the marionette achieves a grace the human body lost through self-consciousness. It is philosophy, not a manual — but it underlies much of modern thinking about manipulation. A quick and essential read.

Building and practice

Construction manuals for string puppets

Practical literature in Portuguese is scarce, and most good manuals are in English, emphasising the British horizontal-control school. What usually matters more than any manual: keeping a notebook of your own stringing measurements for each piece built. A notebook covering ten marionettes teaches more than a shelf of books.

Artistic anatomy

A sideways but decisive recommendation: any good book of anatomy for artists will improve your puppet building more than a second carving manual. Understanding where the knee axis and the shoulder joint actually sit solves problems no amount of sanding will.

Documentaries and video

Audiovisual material is the best way to study manipulation, because movement does not describe well in text. Worth seeking out: recordings of complete bunraku performances (Japanese institutional recordings with subtitles exist); wayang kulit sessions filmed from the dalang's side, which show the manipulation and the gamelan at once; and recordings of Pernambuco mamulengo masters, held in Brazilian cultural archives. When watching, observe one thing at a time: in one pass, only the feet; in another, only the head.

Museums and institutions

• UNIMA — Union Internationale de la Marionnette: the international association founded in 1929, affiliated with UNESCO, with national branches. A good entry point for festivals, courses and contacts.
• Museu do Mamulengo (Olinda, Brazil): a collection of northeastern Brazilian popular puppets; essential for anyone studying the tradition.
• Museu da Marioneta (Lisbon): European and Asian holdings with strong curatorial framing.
• Asian shadow-theatre collections in European and Asian ethnographic museums, many with digitised catalogues and public-domain images.
• Iphan (Brazil): the heritage registration files for mamulengo are a useful and free primary source.