This is a beautifully illustrated compendium of all things "steampunk", from fiction to fashion to conventions via gadgets and nostalgia and dystopia. It's well written, too, featuring contributions from most of the noted "steampunks" of today. I would love to give this book an unreserved 5 stars - but I can't.
The organization is terrible! This was one of the literally hardest books to read I've ever picked up.The discontinuance went from annoying in the first couple of chapters to unbearable by the end. The only thing I can figure is that the authors intended this tome to be browsed, not read cover to cover, because that's nearly impossible. Of course, if you just browse it, you'll miss a good deal of great content.
It's still a great book, but structure matters. ( )

This was a beautiful book with lavish illustrations tracing the Steampunk movement. Its origins in the industrial revolution and the literature of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, to its influence in modern day fiction, fashion, art, craftsmanship, and film, are all documented with beautiful photography, illustrations, and prints on almost every single page of the book; it's worth reading just for the visual experience as the layout of the pages has been well thought out to give the reader a feast for the eyes.

There were some sections that I found rather disappointing. For example, the section on Steampunk fashion made me feel that if I didn’t have the right boots/goggles/work belt, then I wouldn’t be considered to be serious about my Steampunk. This smacked of the elitist point of view to me, as I know many people that have some outstanding costumes and have won prizes, but don’t check all the blocks they say are necessary in this book. Also the section on much went on just a little too long for such a new sound.

However, I did find the book thought-provoking and insightful, and made me consider that Steampunk and other movements are actually springing up all around the globe full of people wanting to disconnect from our technological and virtual society. The do-it-yourself ethic in which Steampunk is highly invested, focuses on creating things with your own hands in order to reconnect with the world around you while at the same time giving yourself meaning and purpose in your life; we can see this mindset slowing taking hold through various avenues such as homesteading and self sufficiency groups.

I would recommend it to readers who are interested in this genre, if it can be called such; those who are just dipping a toe into Steampunk, and anyone else who would like a beautiful, and unusual coffee table book.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/review-the-steampunk-bible-an-il...


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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I have been to several con's and seen the steampunk asthetic in the costumes some people wear, but I didn't really understand what the touchstones of the genre were. This is a fantastic primer to this wonderful, wacky world. The pictures are wonderful and the text is lively and not too techie. I felt that I now "get it." ( )

The strength of this book for me lies in the photography. They did a great job on the photos and spreads. In fact, I found myself wishing they had done some more and made this more of a coffee table book. The book is pretty comprehensive in looking at steampunk from the literary, the artistic, popular culture, craftmanship, fashion, and media. Given I am more of a reader, the parts I found most interesting were those related to literature and graphic novels. However, there is a bit of everything in this book. If nothing else, this book will make you want to seek out some of the literary works mentioned in order to read them. For some folks, you may want to seek out some films or maybe try your hand at a new outfit to wear. If you enjoy steampunk in any of its forms, you want to take a look at this book. It is certainly one that lends itself to browsing as well. I read it from cover to cover, but skimming is perfectly fine. I know I will be looking up a few works after reading this book. Also, given that I have read some steampunk fiction pieces that were less than stellar, this book helped to reignite a bit of my joy in the genre. ( )

This was a beautiful book with lavish illustrations tracing the Steampunk movement. Its origins in the industrial revolution and the literature of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, to its influence in modern day fiction, fashion, art, craftsmanship, and film, are all documented with beautiful photography, illustrations, and prints on almost every single page of the book; it's worth reading just for the visual experience as the layout of the pages has been well thought out to give the reader a feast for the eyes.

There were some sections that I found rather disappointing. For example, the section on Steampunk fashion made me feel that if I didn’t have the right boots/goggles/work belt, then I wouldn’t be considered to be serious about my Steampunk. This smacked of the elitist point of view to me, as I know many people that have some outstanding costumes and have won prizes, but don’t check all the blocks they say are necessary in this book. Also the section on much went on just a little too long for such a new sound.

However, I did find the book thought-provoking and insightful, and made me consider that Steampunk and other movements are actually springing up all around the globe full of people wanting to disconnect from our technological and virtual society. The do-it-yourself ethic in which Steampunk is highly invested, focuses on creating things with your own hands in order to reconnect with the world around you while at the same time giving yourself meaning and purpose in your life; we can see this mindset slowing taking hold through various avenues such as homesteading and self sufficiency groups.

I would recommend it to readers who are interested in this genre, if it can be called such; those who are just dipping a toe into Steampunk, and anyone else who would like a beautiful, and unusual coffee table book.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/review-the-steampunk-bible-an-il...


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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