A gorgeously illustrated history of the literary, film, and arts counterculture--now in paperback!
Simultaneously a literary movement, ultra-hip subculture, and burgeoning cottage industry, steampunk is the most influential new genre to emerge from the late twentieth century. Spinning tales populated with clockwork leviathans, cannon shots to the moon, and coal-fired robots, it charts alternative histories in which the British Empire never fell and the atom remained unsplit.
Spectacularly illustrated and international in scope, this comprehensive history explores steampunk's many intricate expressions in fiction, cinema, television, comics, and video games, and traces its evolution into a truly global aesthetic that has made its mark on art, architecture, fashion, and music.
From the classic science-fiction of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Mary Shelley, through the dystopian futurescapes of Cyberpunk, to the otherworldly imaginings of Hayao Miyazaki, Alan Moore, and China Miéville, author Brian J. Robb sets the key works of steampunk squarely under the lens of his brass monocle and ventures into a world where airships still rule the skies.
Industry Reviews
"Together with Voyager Press, Robb has crafted a book that does credit to its subject matter: a punked up history, a hybrid of seriousness and playfulness in the format of an olde worlde postmodern book" - ScienceFictionWorld.com "Anyone wondering where that stuff came from - and, really, anyone with less than a Ph.D in Steampunk - will profit from reading this new coffee-table tome by Brian J. Robb, recently published by Voyageur Press" - AustinChronicle.com "Aesthetically, this book is absolutely gorgeous. It's impressive - roughly 9-1/2" x 11" and heavy, with a beautiful cover, nice heavy coated pages that are full color and look tea-stained and otherwise "aged," loaded with beautiful photos on every page....Whether you're a goggles-and-gear-wearing devotee of steampunk or are simply curious, this beautiful book belongs in your library." - SciFiMafia.com "There's been a number of new steampunk-related fiction books released lately that I'm going to be reading over the holidays, but I do love a good non-fiction Steampunk book and one was recently delivered into my hands from the folks at Voyageur Press. And it is beautiful!" - Wired.com "This is the coffee table book for when you want an illustrated encyclopedia covering the history of steampunk, namechecking important inventors and artists, and pointing out books and movies that may be of interest to steampunk fans." - Gamma Squad Aesthetically, this book is absolutely gorgeous. It s impressive - roughly 9-1/2 x 11 and heavy, with a beautiful cover, nice heavy coated pages that are full color and look tea-stained and otherwise aged, loaded with beautiful photos on every page .Whether you re a goggles-and-gear-wearing devotee of steampunk or are simply curious, this beautiful book belongs in your library. - SciFiMafia.com" Together with Voyager Press, Robb has crafted a book that does credit to its subject matter: a punked up history, a hybrid of seriousness and playfulness in the format of an olde worlde postmodern book - ScienceFictionWorld.com Anyone wondering where that stuff came from and, really, anyone with less than a Ph.D in Steampunk will profit from reading this new coffee-table tome by Brian J. Robb, recently published by Voyageur Press - AustinChronicle.com" There s been a number of new steampunk-related fiction books released lately that I m going to be reading over the holidays, but I do love a good non-fiction Steampunk book and one was recently delivered into my hands from the folks at Voyageur Press. And it is beautiful! - Wired.com This is the coffee table book for when you want an illustrated encyclopedia covering the history of steampunk, namechecking important inventors and artists, and pointing out books and movies that may be of interest to steampunk fans. - Gamma Squad"
