The Steampunk Librarian

Offers, coinage, and the second coming of the Difference Engine

2008-04-15T18:21:28Z

I think that these Retropolis shirts should appeal to anyone, steampunk fan or not. There's even a shirt for the environmentalists (aka the Civilian Conservation Corps) and the the feminists (aka the Ladies World Domination Society).

The genius behind the steampunked Justice League turned his attention to Star Wars. The stormtroopers look amazing, and I covet Princess Leia's outfit.

Thanks to Nathan Myhrvold, Charles Babbage's second (yes, second!) Difference Engine has finally become a real, tangible object 150 years after its conception. Very cool.

Soon, the UK will have new coins, and they look very nifty and neo-victorian! I absolutely love that they can be configured to form a composite image.

And finally, those of you who remember me babbling about a steampunk anthology arriving on my doorstep last week will be interested in the discount offer the editors are making - here's the full announcement!

STEAMPUNK ANTHOLOGY OFFER:

Publishing house Tachyon Publications and editors Ann and Jeff VanderMeer have agreed to make their new fiction anthology, Steampunk, available for pre-order at a discounted price. This volume, priced at $14.95, is being offered at $12.00, including free shipping within the United States. Shipping outside the United States will be by Global Priority Mail: $9.50 to Canada and $11.00 to our friends in Europe.

In addition, books ordered through this offer will arrive signed by the editors. Signed and personalized…they will even draw little zeppelins!

What might one expect to find within the covers of this anthology? Metal men, clattering clogs, hydraulic horrors, dashing daredevils, corseted courtesans, and, of course, many and various airships—along with all the thrills and rarified pleasures that you could ever hope to enjoy.

Steampunk features work from Michael Chabon, Neal Stephenson, James P. Blaylock, Joe R. Lansdale, Mary Gentle, Ted Chiang, Michael Moorcock, Jay Lake, Molly Brown, Stepan Chapman, Ian R. MacLeod, Rachel Pollack, Paul Di Filippo, Rick Klaw, Jess Nevins and Bill Baker. In addition, a recommended reading list and other resources are included for your further reading enjoyment.

Be sure to reserve your copy before May 15, the expiration date for this kind offer.

Payment can be made by PayPal to vanderworld@hotmail.com or via check to:

Jeff VanderMeer
P.O. Box 4248
Tallahassee, FL 32315

When ordering, be sure to include where you read about this offer.

More about Jeff VanderMeer: www.jeffvandermeer.com
More about Tachyon Publications: www.tachyonpublications.com

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orbs and apocalypses

2008-03-18T18:06:37Z

We may get up to five inches of rain before tomorrow night. Where's Captain Nemo when you need him?

If you're tired of scouring eBay looking for steampunky bits, worry no more - Buy Steampunk will come to your aid! (I continue to be amazed at just how much stuff you can buy these days. Back in ye olden times before steampunk got so popular, we made things ourselves. Hey! You urchins! Get off my lawn!)

Via the always fantastic Brass Goggles: the unconventional Orbital 2008, aka Eastercon, will include the Beyond Cyberdome event, and the tinkerers are prepared for the 2008 competition. Here is just one example of what spectators might see. Gorgeous, isn't it? I don't believe it says "exterminate!" but then again, who knows what might happen...

The people who put together Steampunk Magazine have also put out an ebook titled The Steampunk Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse. Huzzah! The book is a hefty 7 MB PDF file, but a short excerpt and a little more info is available for perusing.

A tangential place to explore is MOMA's Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit, which is not only original and informative but also vast and amazingly full of ideas, ranging from the ancient to the futuristic.

And finally, if you can't dress like it's 1880 every day, perhaps you can wear a t-shirt evoking those days. Well, sort of. What's the Victorian equivalent of "In Your Eyes," anyway? (Threadless is having a clearance sale this week, and nearly all of their shirts are awesome.)

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a week of steam, and other entertainment

2008-02-13T00:22:02Z

Lots of happenings on the steampunk front of late: the craze has made it to NPR, a new Livejournal community dedicated to finding and/or making neovictorian clothes has sprung up, and the Earthenwood Bead Studio is celebrating a "week of steam." Huzzah!

Paleofuture shows us a vision of how people in 1939 thought the men of the 21st century would dress. I rather like the Ottoman influence.

The LEGO steampunk contest may be over, but that doesn't mean the creations have stopped - for example, Admiral Merryweather's Amazing Flying Machine is ready for takeoff (and probable imminent disaster)!

Scientists have created a device which fits on your knee and uses your own kinetic energy to charge items like cell phones. I'm thinking these would look quite dashing with some brass and gear emphasis.

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