The Encyclopaedia of the Magic Lantern

A comprehensive reference source to the history, technology, uses and aesthetics of the optical lantern in its many forms. The Encyclopaedia of the magic lantern is arranged in alphabetical entries. These cover a wide range of subjects: inventors and patentees, makers and merchants, showmen, writers and lecturers; the fascinating variety of styles and shapes of lanterns, with all their delightful and exotic names; the ingenious mechanisms of slides; the organisations that used lanterns for education, propaganda or religious persuasion; and of course the collectors, collections and museums. The scope of the book is worldwide, covering all parts of Europe, much about North America, and fascinating insights into lanterns in Japan and Australia. (Abstract)