In their new book Vintage Tomorrows, historian James H. Carrott and futurist Brian David Johnson make the case that the subculture known as steampunk provides our society with the best possible way to understand our technological world—and, as such, is poised to enter the mainstream.
The aesthetic has a design sensibility that borrows from our steam-engined past (usually, but not limited to, Victorian England and the American Wild West)—which might explain why the uninitiated tend to think of its adherents as odd persons who like to wear funny clothes and hats. So to better illustrate steampunk’s depth and breadth and seriousness of purpose, Carrott has curated and provided explanatory text for this gallery of images. Call it Steampunk 101
READ MORE: 5 Reasons You’ll Be Talking About Steampunk in 2013