A Village Lost and Found

I took a chance and ordered a very inexpensive used copy... pleasant suprise it was brand new.The material itself is magical. A look into another world guided along by the ever amazing Sir May. To appreciate a bygone technology and find current value and excitement in an antiquated pastime is an exercise in imagination and transportation (a practice in which May excells) and holds a wonder that our modern world and younger generations are severely lacking in. With the permeation of CGI, green screen, and AI concoctions, our minds eye doesn't get the organic exercise of days gone past in "duller" times when brilliant stories were written, transcendent art was created, and timeless musical scores were breathed into the universe. I like that there are still old souls willing to share their collections and relics that help bring those inclined to simpler joys into a place of retreat they can relate to better than the garish computer/tech age we seem to be doomed to.

I ordered this book for several reasons, but mostly because I read all about the search for this "lost" village a while ago on Brian May's website.Brian May (yes, the guitarist from Queen) had seen the series of stereophotographs by T.R. WIlliams, which were taken in the 1850's, but were only titled, "Scenes from Our Village". After searching and researching, he and his co-author Elena Vidal not only located the village, but also some of the structures from the images that are still standing today.Stereo images, if you are not familiar, are a pair of images of the same subject, taken at slightly different angles so that when viewed together, they create a 3-D effect similar to what we enjoy in computer-generated movies like Avatar and Toy Story 3. The same effect is also used in the 3-D pictures that you stare at until a hidden image appears within it. But these photos were taken over 100 years ago using glass plates in tripod cameras, and were originally viewed as photo pairs mounted ona card, using a hand-held viewer that was the forerunner of our View-Masters of the 1960's.This book is a compilation of the stereo image pairs from the series "Scenes from Our Village", along with a brief history and explanation of each image - who is in it, where it was taken, comments on the imaging techniques. Most fascinating is the amount of skill required to take duplicate still photos of people and children and nature using the methods of the day which required the subjects to remain in the same position for 5-10 minutes while the exposures were made. A stereo viewer that was included with the book allows easy viewing of stereo pairs as 3-D images, giving incredible depth and life to photos from 150 years ago when photography was in its infancy.The book also includes a brief history of the photographer, an in-depth description of the techniques and equipment used to create these 3-D image pairs, and a glossary of the photographic and imaging terms to help those unfamiliar with the topics and wonderful insights into the life and times in this village that was lost and found. Stereo images of the existing structures, sometimes from the same viewpoint as in the original photos, are also included.If you have any interest in photography, or of 3-D effects, or of the history of rural village life in the 1850's, this book is highly recommended.I had the great pleasure of attending a book signing event where these authors discussed all that went into the making of this book, and more tidbits of information about the images, which made looking through the book again even more enjoyable.

Luxurious paper, full size scans, great viewer. My 2nd Brian May book....I need them all.

This extraordinary collection of William's work is really a time travel adventure story (brought together by Dr Brian May - formerly of Queen fame and Elena Vidal) and is presented in the greatest quality and deepest detail here. I didn't expect to get so pulled in by the narrative (in two layers - finding the lost village and the changing life in the village in William's day) but its an emotional book that provokes great thought about taking the world we live in for granted. In that sense there is a lot of similarity here to the message of the other recent 3D must see, Avatar. Both the film and this book ask you to question whether we should rush into changing our world and embracing newer technologies at the expense of (what is great about) our world as it is. Partly melancholic ultimately, it is nonetheless a joy and lots of fun en route. The breathtaking fusion of images when you first see the pairs come together is a treat every time. Dr May's 'Owl' design stereo viewer being included means you get everything you need to experience this wonderful collection (expect light) when you buy the book. And its priced incredibly favourably for something that feels so timeless and so collectible. Trouble is you don't want it on your bookshelf. you want it on your table forever.

WIsh the photos were a little bit larger. Some of the stereoscopic photos are difficult to get the full 3-D pop. ALso, many of the photos are rather monotonous in that they are so similar to each other in subject, tonality, and theme. But the plastic viewer is neat, and I got the book on sale, so it was well worth the money. It comes in a nice slip case and the book is nicely done. Definitely high quality. If you can catch it on sale, I'd say, it's an interesting book to add to your library!

I've been waiting for this book for sometime, being a Queen fan, I had heard about this project awhile ago, and then just waited. Brian May has a previously published book called BANG! co authored w/ Sir Christopher Lintott which I also enjoyed, as much for the brilliant photography as the informative text.Like BANG! this is a high quality publication, a hard slipcase with a beautiful book and the well thought out and crafted OWL viewer which makes the photos truly come alive, I got this as a holiday gift to myself and am just so pleased with it. As an added plus, Brian's instuctions on the method of shooting a 3D photo were easy and informative, and something that I'll try myself soon. If you have an interest in stereoscopic photography or rural Victorian England I'd highly recommend this book.

This is almost like a double detective story. Let's find the whole series of photographs. Done. Now let's find the village. Mission accomplished. And I just ❤️ history and 19th century photography. A lovely book!

Vendedor Book Hunter Comércio de Livros é nota 10. Tirou minhas dúvidas. Pós venda excelente.

So beautiful 3-D cards and book . Highly recommended.沢山の素晴らしい3-D写真カードと解説の本です。3Dビュアーもセットになっ ているので、直ぐ素晴らしい世界が目の前に広がります。次はご自身の目で、オススメです。

Being a fan of Brian May and his musical achievements and love for 3D photography drew me to this book. It's printing is excellent and the 3D viewer is awesome. There is an interesting back story to this book and being able to see these images makes one become more excited about analog photography

Ein sehr gut und aufwendig gemachtes 3D Buch. Sehr informativ, auch mit einer Einführung in die 3D Technik.Leider ist die Wiedergabe einige der alten Stereokarten nicht optimal in der Schärfe gelungen, vor allem beiden handcolorierten Karten. Der beiliegende Betrachter ist sehr gut, er lässt sich auch wunderbar zum Betrachtenalter Stereokarten im Format 9x18 cm benutzen. Außerdem lässt er sich in der Schärfe verstellen. Also füralle Stereofreunde ein tolles Buch.

Libro en ingles. Una edición cuidada al máximo. Incluye libro, estereóscopo (con su propia funda) y funda rígida donde guardarlo todo.El libro presenta la serie completa de "Scenes in Our Village" de T.R. Williams. Son pares de fotografías estereoscópicas (que con ayuda del estereóscopo se ven en tres dimensiones, 3D) realizadas en la década de 1850. Incluye gran cantidad de información sobre las fotografías y también incluye información sobre cómo realizar ese tipo de fotos.Aunque el texto está en ingles cualquiera puede disfrutar de los pares estereoscópicos.Una pequeña obra de arte para regalar o para regalarse.El estereóscopo (que es plegable y regulable) se puede utilizar tanto para ver las imágenes del libro como para ver los pares estereoscópicos que hagáis vosotros mismos.Muy, muy recomendable. Me encanta.