A Village Lost and Found: "Scenes in Our Village" by T. R. Williams. An Annotated Tour of the 1850s Series of Stereo Photographs - Hardcover

May, Brian; Vidal, Elena

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0711230390 ISBN 13: 9780711230392

Publisher: Frances Lincoln, 2009

Synopsis

This book is the perfect antidote to the stress of life in the 21st Century.

It portrays the idyll of life in an 1850s village, "far from the sound of the train's whistle".
The identity of the village was lost to the world for 150 years, and only by a miracle does this magical set of stereoscopic views survive, brought together for the very first time by Brian May and his co-author, photohistorian Elena Vidal. Their research is amazingly in-depth, but the book is utterly readable, and the pictures leap into glorious 3-D, viewed in the new focussing stereoscope which May has designed and produced, to bring the stereos to life, and then fold neatly into the slip-case of the book.
The book gives an extraordinary insight into everyday village life at the time - with a woman at her spinning wheel, the blacksmith outside his smithy, three men at the grind stone sharpening a tool, the villagers in the fields, bringing in the harvest as well as often taking time to enjoy a good gossip.
In every case the original verse which accompanied the view is reproduced. In addition, May and Vidal have researched and annotated all the views, revealing another layer of meaning, by exploring the history of these real characters, this idyllic village and its links with the present day.
The result is a powerfully atmospheric and touching set of photographs."
A Village Lost and Found brings master pioneering stereographer T. R. Williams's passionate life-work Scenes in Our Village to a new audience - in glorious 3-D, as never before.
For an Electronic Press Kit for A Village Lost and Found click here

About this title

Review:

T. R. Williams seems to have created Our Village as a labor of love, recording the scenes of his childhood summers and documenting a place and way of life that was already vanishing through the effects of the industrial revolution. His extraordinary dedication to the project and his quest for perfection in stereographic imagery are both honored and mirrored in the years of research, photographic explorations and thoughtful presentation that have made possible this book, 'A Village Lost and Found' - clearly another labor of love. (John Dennis Stereo World)

The effect is amazing. It takes a moment to adjust to the viewer, but once you have got the knack, the villagers and their surroundings seem to leap from the page, bringing scenes such as these to life and helping you appreciate details you might otherwise miss. The book is superbly produced and bound in large format with a separate slip-case for the easy-to-assemble stereo viewer. a bygone age indeed but I can assure you one thing: it will rock you. (Mail on Sunday)

A more detailed picture of our forebears rather than a little silhouette of a man! (Amateur Photographer)

An illuminating example of 'photo-archaeology'. (Ag - International Journal of Photographic Art & Practice)

An enchanting look at rural life and local characters. (Oxfordshire Life)

You can see a rural English village in the 1850s just the way it was - or maybe as close as you'lll ever get. A Village Lost & Found really is a bit of a time machine, certainly if you allow your imagination some freedom (and if you take the time to read the book.) (Conscientious - Jörg Colberg's weblog about fine-art photography)

The book works on a number of levels. If you have a passion for photography, it will excite you. If you are interested in history, it will intrigue you. If you are keen on technical aspects, then the stereoscope will indulge you. This is definitely a collector's bargain to be treasured on any book shelf. (Silvershotz)

Maybe 'A Village Lost and Found' can serve to rekindle the passion for photography in those who like to complain how there's nothing new any longer , or how photography supposedly is 'dead': Well there is still a lot to be discovered. So why not start by looking at something like A Village lost and Found' ? I'll happily admit it was much more fun than I would ever have imagined. (Conscientious - Jörg Colberg's weblog about fine-art photography) --Conscientious - Jörg Colberg

The awesome thoroughness of this boook is worthy of a PhD thesis... a triumph of scholarship and credit to all concerned. (Royal Photographic Society Journal) --Royal Photogrtaphic Society Journal

It's like magic and makes me feel like a child again. (Observer) --Observer

About the Author:

Brian May, CBE, PhD, FRAS is a founding member of Queen, a world-renowned guitarist, songwriter, producer and performer. Brian had to postpone a career in astronomy when Queen's popularity first exploded, but, after an incendiary 30 years as a rock musician, was able to return to astrophysics in 2006, when he completed his PhD, and co-authored his first book, Bang! The Complete History of the Universe, with Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott. Stereography has been a life-long passion for Brian.

ELENA VIDAL has worked as a conservator of paintings in Florence, Spain and the UK. She graduated as an MA in Photographic Conservation at the Camberwell School of Arts, and has subsequently specialised in the history of stereoscopic photography. Since meeting Brian May in 1997, Elena has collaborated with him on a long-term study of Thomas Richard Williams, and has published a number of articles.

About this edition

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0711230390
• ISBN 13: 9780711230392
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240