Sam Ita studied graphic design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn before following his passion for paper engineering. He got his start as a production assistant for renowned paper engineers Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart, and worked on many bestselling pop-up books, including America the Beautiful and Encyclopedia Prehistorica, and on Christmas cards for the Museum of Modern Art. Ita draws inspiration from comics, origami and machines, applying his craft to publishing, advertising, animation, display and toy design. His creations include Christmas Tree In-a-Box, Van Gogh's Sunflowers In-a-Box, The Odyssey, Moby Dick, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Frankenstein and the Tokyo Pop-Up Book. He lives in Brooklyn, New York