Retronaut: The Photographic Time Machine

Chris Wild

ISBN 10: 1426213832 / ISBN 13: 9781426213830

Published by National Geographic Society, 2014

About this Item

Strap on your goggles and prepare to time travel with Retronaut to the past as you've never seen it. A space suit for dogs. Munchkins enjoying a cigarette break on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Ku Klux Klan members taking a spin on a ferris wheel. These images, and thousands more, make up the captivating world of the Retronaut, the Internet's most popular destination for vintage photography. In the words of Retronaut founder and chief curator, Chris Wild, the past is as exciting as a visit to a foreign country. Here, Wild has selected more than 400 of the best photographs from the site's most visited eras and themes, mashing up Victoriana with vintage advertising from the 60s and 70s with amazing inventions like pants for cows and breast wasershers for women.

Seller Inventory # CIN1426213832A

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Retronaut: The Photographic Time Machine
• Publisher: National Geographic Society
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1426213832
• ISBN 13: 9781426213830
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: Fair

About this title

Synopsis

"An emporium of retro treasure...from shocking sculptures of the 1700s, to Kodachrome snaps of 1950s Piccadilly Circus, to biblical scenes captured by Google Earth. Rather than nostalgia or folly, the aim is enlightenment, wonder and the pleasure of weirdness." --The Guardian 
 
Based on the widely popular blog that started as a side project in a basement, Retronaut reveals strange yet enlightening photographs from the past that somehow seem to depict another version of now. Martha Stewart as a fashion model, Kim Jong Il in a bumper car, and Ronald Reagan modeling for a sculpture class—this quirky page-turner enriched with author Chris Wild’s unique wit and oddball knowledge is a must-have for collectors of the unusual. 
 
Wild, a former museum archivist, has revolutionized the way we think of dusty photos—turning them into a sensation that has taken the Internet by surprise. He has selected over 300 of the best photographs from the site's most visited eras and themes, mashing up Victoriana with vintage advertising from the ’60s and ’70s and unearthing rare snapshots of evil dictators taking vacations. Page by page, this unconventional, thought-provoking photographic time machine will change what you think you know about history. 


 

About the Author

CHRIS WILD, a former museum curator is a blogger and creator of Retronaut, a 'time machine' that allows people to access millions of pieces of historical content including videos, pictures, music and text from public and private archives. It is a passport into history where people can pick their own entry point (be it people, places or objects) and take a fascinating, inter-connected journey back in time.