Edison's Kinetoscope and Its Films - (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture) by Ray Phillips (Hardcover)

About the Book

Motion pictures were first seen in 1894, when Thomas Edison introduced the Kinetoscope, a device for individually looking at film through a viewer. Over the next three years, Edison manufactured almost 1,000 Kinetoscopes and produced some 250 films to show in them. A million people worldwide first saw motion pictures through these devices.

This book describes in detail how Kinetoscopes worked and how they were sold, and describes the parlors to which the public flocked, fascinated by the novelty of moving images. It examines how the machines were copied by others and later eclipsed by the advent of projection. It also indicates where surviving machines can be found in the United States and Europe. The book concludes with an index to Edison's films between 1892 and 1896, and presents titles, filming dates, subject descriptions, and information on the location of surviving copies. Copiously illustrated, the book is a vital research tool for all students of motion picture history.

Book Synopsis

Motion pictures were first seen in 1894, when Thomas Edison introduced the Kinetoscope, a device for individually looking at film through a viewer. Over the next three years, Edison manufactured almost 1,000 Kinetoscopes and produced some 250 films to show in them. A million people worldwide first saw motion pictures through these devices.

This book describes in detail how Kinetoscopes worked and how they were sold, and describes the parlors to which the public flocked, fascinated by the novelty of moving images. It examines how the machines were copied by others and later eclipsed by the advent of projection. It also indicates where surviving machines can be found in the United States and Europe. The book concludes with an index to Edison's films between 1892 and 1896, and presents titles, filming dates, subject descriptions, and information on the location of surviving copies. Copiously illustrated, the book is a vital research tool for all students of motion picture history.

Review Quotes

.,."contains just about everything one might wish to know on the subject....This is not strictly an academic text. It is somewhat more entertaining in that the author will, from time to time, offer a personal aside. Recommended."-Classic Images

?...contains just about everything one might wish to know on the subject....This is not strictly an academic text. It is somewhat more entertaining in that the author will, from time to time, offer a personal aside. Recommended.?-Classic Images

?[A] fascinating piece of historical digging.?-Communication Booknotes Quarterly

?[A] fascinating piece of historical digging.??Communication Booknotes Quarterly

"ÝA¨ fascinating piece of historical digging."-Communication Booknotes Quarterly

"[A] fascinating piece of historical digging."-Communication Booknotes Quarterly

..."contains just about everything one might wish to know on the subject....This is not strictly an academic text. It is somewhat more entertaining in that the author will, from time to time, offer a personal aside. Recommended."-Classic Images

About the Author

RAY PHILLIPS is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. He has made 12 working replica Kinetoscopes and owns what may be the oldest extant Kinetoscope.