Photobooks, zines, reviewed, etc...

Despite not being self published, or even remotely independently published, I wanted to give this book a mention, because I find it absolutely enchanting.

I picked it up because I had a gift card for a high street bookstore, and as we know, in the UK (now that Borders has vanished) these don’t tend to stock anything other than mainstream titles.

It had caught my eye because I love 3D books and photos and I also happen to quite like looking at old photographs, particularly those which were either taken in colour or had colour added afterwards. I feel that black and white photographs give us the impression that the past was lived in black and white, but the reality is that - with the exception perhaps of dyes used in clothing - the world was as much a riot of colour as it is now. If anything, we’ve perhaps gone the other way, with our bland array of food choices in the supermarkets - apples carefully selected to conform to predetermined size, weight and colour.

Essentially, a chap called T. R. Williams took a load of 3D photographs of an English village in the 1850’s. Naturally, the equipment available to him was fairly rudimentary by today’s standards, making his accomplishment even more impressive.

Brian May (yes, from Queen) presents the stereographic images in way which conjures up the image of a detective, meticulously studying evidence. At first I thought the book was quite dry, but as Brian talks you through the images, often cross referencing the scene from 1850 with the modern view of the same place, you can’t help but become fascinated with the project.

Even more interesting is the fact that Williams, like Hitchcock, appears to enjoy a cameo appearance in many of the images. There is even speculation that he plays the role of a woman in one. Perhaps there is too much conjecture in some of the conclusions drawn from these images, but go along with it, don’t take it all too seriously, and you’ll find a great deal to enjoy here.

The book is extremely well presented, coming enclosed in a slip case with what looks like a second - much smaller - volume. This is actually a cardboard case for the 3D viewer which was designed specifically for this book. You use this to view the images, forcing you to engage with the content in a way that most photography books don’t require.

A bit different to my normal choice, but a welcome one. I’m not even halfway through yet and I can’t wait for the chance to spend more time with this book.