Through The Looking Glasses - The Spectacular Life of Spectacles

'Elegant and multi-focal. Glorious!' Simon Garfield

'It will make you look at specs with fresh eyes' New Statesman

'Lively, engaging and admirably wide-ranging' The Times

'Fascinating' Observer

The humble pair of glasses might just be one of the world's greatest inventions, allowing millions to see a world that might otherwise appear a blur. And yet how much do many of us really think about these things perched on the ends of our noses?

Through the Looking Glasses traces the fascinating story of spectacles: from their inception as primitive visual aids for monkish scribes right through to today's designer eyewear and the augmented reality of Google Glass. There are encounters with ingenious medieval Italian glassmakers, myopic Renaissance rulers and spectacle-makers, as well as the silent movie star Harold Lloyd, the rock'n'roller Buddy Holly and the full-screen figure of Marilyn Monroe. This is a book about vision and the need for humanity to see clearly, and where the impulse to improve our eyesight has led us.

About the author

Travis Elborough

Summary

A personal and insightful look at the extraordinary life and times of eyewear from the Ancient Greeks to Google Glass by the author of The Bus We Loved and A Walk in the Park.

Foreword

A personal and insightful look at the extraordinary life and times of eyewear from the Ancient Greeks to Google Glass by the author of The Bus We Loved and A Walk in the Park.

Additional text

There are four billion adults around the globe who wear glasses. It will make you look at specs with fresh eyes New Statesman

Product details

• Authors: Travis Elborough, Elborough Travis, Travis Elborough
• Publisher: Abacus
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2020
• EAN: 9780349144115
• ISBN: 978-0-349-14411-5
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 126 mm x 198 mm x 30 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Humanities, art, music > Art > Interior design, design; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; Social sciences, law, business > Ethnology > Ethnology; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Inventions, Fashion & society, Cultural studies: fashion and society, Inventions & inventors, Fashion and textile design: accessories, Cultural studies: dress and society