My family knows how much I love vintage and photography, so they were spot on when they selected this book as a Christmas present for me!

Retronaut is the creation of Chris Wild, who is the curator of the popular website of the same name.

Wild chose the name “retronaut” to refer to someone “who travels back”…his aim is to take you in a photographic time machine though eras past.

Retronaut

Published by the National Geographic, the Retronaut book is packed full with over 350 images…each one has been carefully selected to “warp your sense of the past”!

The whole concept is so very clever, as we perceive history through what has been left behind…photos, books, documents, paintings…

But history as we know it can suddenly become unfamiliar, or even totally changed by a shocking, surprising or even hilarious image.

This week, I finally had time to browse through the pages, and I found it absolutely fascinating…I am drawn back to look through the images again and again, finding something new each time.

I loved the chapter “Remembering Tomorrow”… a selection of images showing the future from the past.

Retronaut

For example, there is an ad from 1966 for a Xerox Telecopier…mail letters via the phone…how things have evolved since then!

I also loved the chapter on fashion…in particular the images from the 1950s and 1960s…plus there was an interesting comparison of the “Feminine Physique” from the 1930s – 1950s, using images of Gladys Turner…whose legs won her a competition…with Mamie Van Doren and Marilyn Monroe.

There are some great cars featured too…including a car that could fly, one that could float, and the Ferrari Modulo Concept car from the 1970s.

I could go on and on, but it’s best if you get hold of Retronaut, so you can see these amazing images for yourself!

Retronaut

But consider yourself warned…you can become quite engrossed and find you have lost quite a few hours wandering back in time!

And then there is the Retronaut website…

Retronaut is available from all good book sellers and online, including the Book Depository (please note: this is an affiliate link)

Please note: this is not a sponsored post! My opinions are, as always, totally my own!