River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild WestWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism and the Mark Lynton History Prize Through the story of the pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge, the author of Men Explain Things to Me explores what it was about California in the late 19th-century that enabled it to become such a center of technological and cultural innovation The world as we know it today began in California in the late 1800s, and Eadweard Muybridge had a lot to do with it. This striking assertion is at the heart of Rebecca Solnit’s new book, which weaves together biography, history, and fascinating insights into art and technology to create a boldly original portrait of America on the threshold of modernity. The story of Muybridge—who in 1872 succeeded in capturing high-speed motion photographically—becomes a lens for a larger story about the acceleration and industrialization of everyday life. Solnit shows how the peculiar freedoms and opportunities of post–Civil War California led directly to the two industries—Hollywood and Silicon Valley—that have most powerfully defined contemporary society. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - snash - LibraryThingThis is a biography of an early photographer and then a whole lot more; the west, industrialization, Stanford, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and Captain Jack. Wild and rambling, making sweeping surprising connections. All great fun and thought provoking. Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - gregorybrown - LibraryThingBasically amazing. Rebecca Solnit surveys Eadweard Muybridge's life and career, tracing the changing effects of space and time throughout his photographic work. At the same time, Muybridge is but a ... Read full review
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River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West Rebecca Solnit No preview available - 2004 |
River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West Rebecca Solnit No preview available - 2004 |
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Bibliographic information
| Title | River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West |
| Author | Rebecca Solnit |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Penguin, 2004 |
| ISBN | 1101662662, 9781101662663 |
| Length | 320 pages |
| Subjects | › › Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers History / Social History History / United States / 19th Century |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |