River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological

River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West

The world as we know it today began in California in the late 1800s, and Eadweard Muybridge had a lot to do with it. This striking assertion is at the heart of Rebecca Solnitâ€™s new book, which weaves together biography, history, and fascinating insights into art and technology to create a boldly original portrait of America on the threshold of modernity. The story of Muybridgeâ€”who in 1872 succeeded in capturing high-speed motion photographicallyâ€”becomes a lens for a larger story about the acceleration and industrialization of everyday life. Solnit shows how the peculiar freedoms and opportunities of postâ€“Civil War California led directly to the two industriesâ€”Hollywood and Silicon Valleyâ€”that have most powerfully defined contemporary society.

River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West