The Steampunk Bible: an Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature

Resource type: book (non-fiction)

In the introduction to this book, Bruce Sterling - science fiction writer, writes that:

"People like Steampunk for two good reasons. First, it's a great opportunity to dress up in a cool, weird way that baffles the straights. Second, Steampunk set design looks great."

Steampunk is about aesthetics (the beauty of it's appearance) and confusing people.

Sterling goes on to say that you (the reader) are probably young, and you're probably having some identity issues, so why not try a few different ones, such as Steampunk.

And this would be the book to help you with that journey.

It provides a thorough discussion on:

• What Steampunk actually is, 
• It's history in the industrial revolution and in the writing of Jules Verne and HG Wells, 
• A review of Steampunk fiction and graphic novels, 
• Craftsmanship, DIY and the aesthetic of Steampunk
• Steampunk fashion, accessories, subculture and music
• Steampunk movies and television series
• And what the future of the Steampunk movement may hold.

It is an in-depth literary and visual resource, and ties together books, fashion, music and movies from all across popular culture and throughout history to create a compendium of ideas on the contradictory culture of Steampunk.

There are instructions for making your own etched tins using saltwater and electricity (see Imgae 1: Etched tins), there's a guide to some of the styles of Steampunk fashion: "the street urchin", "the tinker", "the explorer" (see Image 2: The Explorer)and "the aesthete", discussion on how Steampunk can work with environmental sustainability, and discussion on multiculturalism within the Steampunk movement.

Image 1: Etched tins (Vandermeer and Chambers, 2011)

Image 2: The Explorer (Vandermeer and Chambers, 2011)

Basically, if you have even a teeny tiny clock cog of interest in Steampunk, this is the place to delve in, make lots of connections through books, movies and history, and broaden your understanding of what it is, and what it could possibly be. 

Bibliographic details:

Vandermeer, J., & Chambers, S. J. (2011). The steampunk bible : an illustrated guide to the world of imaginary airships, corsets and goggles, mad scientists, and strange literature. New York: Abrams Image.