"The Peripheral" 2014 novel by William Gibson

I very much enjoyed Vancouver science fiction author William Gibson's latest novel The Peripheral. He said he drew inspiration from the 1985 story "Mozart in Mirrorshades" by Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner. That story appeared in Mirrorshades: the Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling (1986). I'd call Gibson's novel a sci-fi thriller, one that would make for a pretty good movie in the right hands. The novel's short chapters more or less alternate between a future, not our own, and a past whose future has been changed by that future. It's time travel, but not in any physical sense nor between the same time streams. I found the novel to be a real page turner. There are some strong female characters, including one of the protagonists. You might find it a little tough to get into at first, but if you stick with it I think you'll find it a rewarding, stimulating read.

http://www.amazon.ca/Peripheral-William-Gibson/dp/0399158448

Illuminating Shadows: The Calotype in Nineteenth Century America book

Carl Mautz Publishing has issued another terrific looking volume on the history of photography in the United States. Authored by David R. Hanlon, the book is titled Illuminating Shadows: The Calotype in Nineteenth Century America. The book weighs in at 246 pages and will set you back $50 U.S. There's also a collector's edition available for $200 U.S.

Vistas: Artists on the Canadian Pacific Railway (2009) book

I received a review copy back in July 2009 of Roger Boulet's book of the same name for the Glenblow Museum's exhibition Vistas: Artists on the Canadian Pacific Railway (June 20 to September 20, 2009). Sadly, this important exhibition, which included historical photographs as well as pieces of art, did not travel beyond Calgary, Alberta, home of the Glenbow Museum. I had provided some research assistance to Roger, chiefly around the Victoria photographer Charles Macmunn (d. 1903) who remains a research interest of ours. My self-published book Camera Workers:  The British Columbia Photographers Directory, 1858-1900 (1985) is listed in the bibliography but not my two Web sites (see the sidebar of this blog for the links to those). The book is a magnificent production. I will provide more coverage of the contents in the months to come once I've had time to thoroughly read it. The book is not available through Amazon.ca or Amazon.com and can be ordered through the Glenbow Museum Shop (offline ordering only).