RETRONAUT: The Photographic Time Machine

An emporium of retro treasure...from shocking sculptures of the 1700s, to Kodachrome snaps of 1950s Piccadilly Circus, to biblical scenes captured by Google Earth. Rather than nostalgia or folly, the aim is enlightenment, wonder and the pleasure of weirdness. --The Guardian Based on the widely popular blog that started as a side project in a basement, The Retronaut reveals strange yet enlightening photographs from the past that somehow seem to depict another version of now. Crocodiles taking children on walks, Queen Victoria caught smiling, and ponies at parking meters--this quirky page-turner enriched with author Chris Wild's unique wit and oddball knowledge is a must-have for collectors of the unusual. Wild, a former museum archivist, has revolutionized the way we think of dusty photos--turning them into a sensation that has taken the Internet by surprise. He has selected over 400 of the best photographs from the site's most visited eras and themes, mashing up Victoriana with vintage advertising from the '60s and '70s and amazing inventions like pants for cows. Page by page, this unconventional, thought-provoking photographic time machine will change what you think you know about history.