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|  | |  | | | BibliOdyssey: Amazing Archival Images from the Internet | | | | | SKU:
NBSTH006163 | | In Stock | | Availability:
Usually ships in 1 business days | | Only 2 left in stock, order soon! | | | | | | With just a few select books to date, the British publisher (and design company) Fuel has already made a splash with its beautifully produced books on such ephemeral or popular arts as tattooing (Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia Volumes I and II), soccer programs (Match Day) and improvised domestic implements (Home-Made). Fuel's latest publication extends this visual anthropology to the Internet, specifically the blog BibliOdyssey. Across the world, libraries and institutions are only recently starting to make their collections available online, and the bulk of this amazing material goes unnoted by the casual surfer. BibliOdyssey's mission over the past two years has been to diligently trawl the dustier corners of the Internet and retrieve these materials for our attention. Thanks to the daily efforts of this singular blog, a myriad of long-forgotten imagery has now re-surfaced, from eighteenth-century anatomical and architectural drawing to occult and alchemical engravings and proto-Surrealist depictions of the horrors of industrialization (for example, the half-plant, half-people illustrations of J.J. Grandville). Each of the images is accompanied by commentary from "PK," author and curator of the BibliOdyssey blog. The book also provides details for each image and links to the source website. With a foreword by artist Dinos Chapman, BibliOdyssey is a true cabinet of curiosities and a journey in discovery and delight. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | PK | | Hardcover: | 160 pages | | Publisher: | Fuel Publishing | | Publication Date: | October 01, 2007 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0955006163 | | Product Length: | 10.05 inches | | Product Width: | 7.23 inches | | Product Height: | 0.76 inches | | Product Weight: | 1.39 pounds | | Package Length: | 10.0 inches | | Package Width: | 7.1 inches | | Package Height: | 0.8 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.2 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 7 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 The Web's Most Optically Seductive Site is Now a Book Dec 20, 2007
By Tennessee Reader
"Paulina"
Here's a stunning phrase: visual materia obscura. As in, all the beautiful, eccentric, frightening and illuminating images you can find -- if you know how to look for them -- in the Web's dustiest, most erudite archives.
Nobody knows how to look better than PK, creator of BibliOdyssey, the blog -- a showcase for 1000 years of works on paper, many related to the book arts, and, IMHO, the most optically seductive site on the Web, keeping its fans up till dawn with the wonder of it all. It's only natural that BibliOdyssey should morph into a book -- and a gorgeous one at that. Brought out by swank FUEL Design in London, the book is the perfect
companion to the blog, but only if you like medieval herbals, meticulous 18th century drawings of microscopic critters, cloud maps, comet anatomy, mysterious geared machines from the Baghdad Caliphate, Renaissance prosthetics, outrageous costumes, ornate nakedness, heart-stopping calligraphy, antiquarian cookbooks and anything to do with Fr. Athanasius Kircher.
PK, an Australian mystery blogger, has a marvelous, totally
unpretentious way of introducing you to his favorite finds. If it sounds like he just discovered them himself -- well, he did. And I wish a lot of culture vultures would imitate his tone when they write or teach or even leave the house. Not to be sneezed at is the Foreword by famous British artist Dinos Chapman. And the binding itself is worth the price.
Heavens! Buy this fabulous book for the holiday (or for upcoming Valentine's Day) -- it's the same price publishers of absolute dogmeat are asking for material that won't hold your attention for half an hour. If you don't love it, someone you know will love YOU for giving it to them.
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
A sublime collection of archival illustration Nov 29, 2007
By Adam Alexander
Through the BibliOdyssey weblog, the author is a treasure hunter in the musty backwaters of the academic undernet; researching, resurrecting and cataloguing (mostly) public domain illustration from centuries past. All manner of curious visual esoterica is illuminated, from the religious to the scientific to the surreal and profane.
This deluxe book is a fitting tribute to the author's hobby site, featuring both old and new material, with excellent reproductions of selected works framed with typeset care, wrapped in a gold-foiled hardcover.
It is not an academic treatise, but a passionate collection of discovered objects, and the author humbly professes not to be an authority on the subject matter presented. As a consequence, the collection is all the more accessible as we share in the wonder and technique of the artworks, free to be enjoyed without the constraints of context.
This work would make a fine gift to any suitable gentleman, lady, family, library or studio serious about history, curiosity or creativity.
Visit the weblog for a taste if you will, but it must be said, these works were intended to be seen and felt on paper, and this book does them that justice!
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Amazing Book Dec 27, 2007
By Sarah
This book is such a beautiful visual journey. I received it for Christmas and have not had enough time to sit down and read it cover to cover yet. Though the time I have spent perusing the book is all the encouragement I need to make the time. PK's commentary is both informative and accessible throughout. The author's love and passion for this work shines through, and makes it a captivating book.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
visual culture thrill ride Dec 27, 2007
By Anthony Wislar
Those who search for treasure in uncharted sections of old bookstores or forgotten regions of the library will love this book. It offers page after page of wonderous (re)discovery. The images are enthralling, beautiful. In an image-saturated present, these illustrations retain the power to hold onto your eyes. It's a tribute to that power that the pictures in Bibliodyssey have made a circle from printed matter to electronic database back to printed form.
Unlike some visual culture journals like Cabinet, Bibliodyssey sticks to the bare facts about each find, leaving you to research further if you desire. The collector's love for his material shines through the casual delivery. The lack of academic research on each find has the effect of preserving them in an untouched state.
The images are somewhat grouped together in the way of a well-written introduction by Dinos Chapman. I find Chapman a bizarre choice for this job given his recent hostility toward rare printed images...
11 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 disappointment Mar 08, 2008
By ash
I bought this book sight unseen, after becoming hooked on the Bibliodessey site. I was very disappointed in the rather dull, uninteresting pieces that were chosen. Very few were of the 'wow' nature that the site often displays. A few were interesting, and I am always interested in illustrative art from any age, so I'm glad to have seen the ones chosen. But I'm very sorry I spent my money, and plan to just stick with daily perusing the site instead.
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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