Carrott, James H. and Johnson, Brian David - Vintage Tomorrows

Carrott, James H. and Johnson, Brian David - Vintage Tomorrows~A Historian And A Futurist Journey Through Steampunk Into The Future of Technology

It is easier to identify something as steampunk than it is to precisely define what steampunk is. As the backcover claims: ". . . this book looks into steampunk’s vision of old-world craftsmen making beautiful hand-tooled gadgets, and what it says about our age of disposable technology." Self-styled cultural historian James Carrott and futurist Brian David Johnson tackle this problem and examine the steampunk movement--applying Victorian styles and materials to contemporary designs/inventions--through interviews with "experts" like William Gibson and Margaret Atwood. Their informal writing style (only the Foreword by Henry Jenkins seems academic) reads like journal entries, or possibly a blog; it may even have you talking back at the text! There's also a free companion book, Steampunking Our Future, available at their website.

383pp. + illus., index


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