Stereo
Views, An Illustrated History and Price Guide 2nd Edition
by John Waldsmith
First
published in 1991, Stereo Views, An Illustrated History
and Price Guide, has been revised and updated. Author
John Waldsmith is co-founder of the National Stereoscopic
Assocation and a licensed and bonded auctioneer. This is
a must addition to the new and advanced stereo-collector's
book library. Waldsmith has added more photographs of extremely
rare stereoviews. The book includes more than 300 photos,
most new to this book and many never published before.
The price guide by categories has been completely revised
and updated. The chapter on boxed sets has been significantly
expanded. Listings for Tru-Vues, Novelviews and View-Master®
are comprehensive and completely revised.
One of the major additions to the View-Master®
chapter is the list of blister card packaged reels issued
from the mid-1970s through 1996. Waldsmith writes, "Unfortunately
for collector's, by 1982 the packet envelope had been completely
replaced by the new (blister pack) packaging, thus ending
what is known as the 'Golden Era' of the three-reel packet.
Many collectors are not interested in the products of the
last 20 years. Only in recent years has there emerged interest
in collecting of the blister packs as collectors have discovered
that some of these packets are very interesting and in some
cases very scarce."
Highlights of the book include
- The history of Stereoscopy
- More than 300 photos
- More than 10,000 listings from the 1850s to the 1930s
- Modern era 3-D collectibles 1930s to the present
- Evaluating your collection
- A collector's guide with hints on collecting, grading,
caring for and storing your collections
- Pointers on where to find stereo views
- A list of dealers
- View-Master®
- Tru-Vue
- Hints for bidding in online auctions
- Major stereo photographers and publishers
- and much more.
Click
here for a book order form. (Editor's Note: You may
need to download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader
to view the order form.)
Author John Waldsmith will sign each book ordered directly.
Please request personal inscriptions. Cost is $24.95 plus
$2.95 postage and handling in the United States. Canada
and other countries add an additional $2.25. Money order,
personal check, Mastercard or Visa accepted. Payment should
be made to John Waldsmith, P.O. Box 83, Sharon Center, OH
44274. Books should arrive approximately two weeks after
payment is received. ISBN 0-87349-409-1
Sunecho.com
View-Master® Reel

L.J.
Altvater's background is primarily in painting, but his
interest in stereo images found an outlet in 3-D computer
graphics. Seven of Altvater's exciting 3-D computer art
graphics have been collected on a custom-produced View-Master®
reel.
"I've been using the Persistence Of Vision Raytracer
(POV-Ray, freely available from www.povray.org) as a fine
art medium since 1993," said Altvater. "Once an
image is created with POV-Ray it's very easy to render stereo
views by simply rendering two images with slightly different
camera positions. The result is a stereo view of a true
three-dimensional space. I've created some stereo 35mm slides
which are quite impressive for their detail and image quality.
I decided to make a View-Master®
reel for their convenience and accessibility and so on."
The custom produced reel, manufactured by View-Master®
in 2002, is priced at $5 and can be ordered using a print-out
form available on the Sunecho.com Web site.
There are some other cross-eyed stereo images of Altvater's
work on the Web site, too.
Historic
Charleston: Stereographs from the Civil War Era View-Master®
Reel 
View*Productions
and the National Stereoscopic Association have published
Historic Charleston: Stereographs from the Civil War
Era, a group of three-dimension views of Charleston,
South Carolina and vicinity taken during the Civil War and
Reconstruction periods.
The seven black and white 3-D images on this single View-Master®
reel have been expertly transferred from rare vintage stereographs
published between 1860 and 1880. The publishers, all from
Charleston, include George M. Bernard, George Cook, S. E.
Durbec, James M. Osborn and S. T. Souder.
Images on the reel include
- Slave quarters on a plantation on South Carolina (1860)
- Interior of Secession Hall (1860)
- Furnace for heating shot (1861)
- Torpedo boat used during Civil War, Charleston Harbor
(c. 1865)
- The Old Post Office, Charleston (1865)
- East Battery looking south (1866)
- Laborers returning from picking cotton on Alexander
Knox's plantation, Mt. Pleasant, near Charleston (1874)
Cost of the reel is $10. There is no additional shipping
cost for USA orders. Historic Charleston: Stereographs
from the Civil War Era can be purchased online from
the View*Productions Web site. Each reel comes with a specially
designed slipcover packet and a deluxe protective window
envelope.
The original stereographs were provided by Mike Griffith.
The digitally enhanced images are © 2003 Steve Hughes.
The project was coordinated by Larry Moor. The packet design
is by Gregory Terry. The reel is catalog item #102, ISBN
0971409145. The product was released on Sept. 15, 2003.
View*Productions specializes in releasing 3-D views featuring
architecture and design classics. View*Productions also
released a new three-reel set the same day titled Frank
Lloyd Wright: 3 Houses. The mailing address is View*Productions,
P.O. Box 11835, Knoxville, TN 37939.
View-Master®
Viewer featured in Mary J. Blige Music Video

It's
too bad some people miss the Mary J. Blige of old, the pained,
intense, soul-stirring period of her life that yielded some
of her most recognizable hits. Blige is now at peace with
her demons and it's resulting in another creative peak in
her career. That period continues with the release of her
new single and video, Not Today, the second offering
from her latest album, Love & Life.
Like a lot of the songs from Blige of late, Not Today,
which features Eve, is sung from the perspective of
a woman empowered with knowledge and in full control of
her actions. This is an older, wiser Mary advising young
girls not to get twisted in a man's game, no matter how
sweet he might seem.
Some highlights to look out for in the clip include Mary
and Eve being transported to colorful, imaginative scenes
via a View-Master® viewer and for fans of Eve's body,
a sequence of shots that feature Eve in fetish gear.
The track doubles as the lead single from the soundtrack
to Barbershop II. It's only appropriate, then, that
the video for the song is also set in a barbershop and it
includes cameos from the film's stars, Eve and Cedric the
Entertainer, as well as scenes from the film itself.
Directed by Chris Robinson, the clip features a sexy Mary
visiting a local social hot spot, the barbershop, and witnessing
the flirtatious actions of a man who seems to be too distracted
by several women to ever stick to just one. Eve and Mary
watch the shenanigans amusedly.
The soundtrack to Barbershop II will be released
in January 2004, one month before the film.
- Joseph Patel, MTV.com
NASCAR
3-D: The IMAX Experience
After
filming seven NASCAR races in seven months, principal race
photography of NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience concluded
at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 23, 2003. More commonly
known as the Bristol night race, it has become the hottest
ticket in Winston Cup racing and the IMAX(c) 3-D production
crew caught all the race excitement.
Under the glow of stadium lighting, the 225-pound IMAX
3-D cameras captured 43 cars zooming around the world's
fastest half-mile, 160,000 screaming fans and behind-the-pit
action with some of the sport's most revered drivers and
teams.
Filming of NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience began
this year at the Daytona 500 and has continued at various
tracks and racing facilities around the country, including
the Talladega Superspeedway, Lowes Motorspeedway, California
Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and numerous race shops.
Fans will be transported into the driver's seat as Warner
Brothers Pictures and IMAX 3-D technology bring the passion
and excitement of America's number one spectator sport exclusively
to the IMAX screen in March 2004.
Some IMAX Fun Facts:
- There are only two IMAX 3-D cameras in the world, and
both filmed at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
- IMAX screens measure up to eight stories high.
- The average IMAX screen is 4,500 times bigger than an
average TV screen, and is as wide as an NFL football field.
- The IMAX sound system is comprised of 44 custom designed
speakers that extract 12,000 watts of pure digital surround
sound.
- NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience will be distributed
exclusively to IMAX theatres by Warner Bros. Pictures
and IMAX in March 2004.
 |
NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience
director Simon Wincer
with an IMAX 3-D camera |
Golden Globe Award-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland will
narrate the first-ever IMAX 3D NASCAR film, NASCAR 3-D:
The IMAX Experience. The groundbreaking IMAX 3-D film,
set against America's most popular spectator sport, will
be distributed exclusively to IMAX theatres by Warner Brothers
Pictures and IMAX. The film is scheduled to open on March
12, 2004.
NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience will have IMAX
moviegoers and NASCAR fans on the edges of their seats as
they experience speeds of more than 200 miles per hour.
The heart-pounding thrills of NASCAR will be captured through
IMAX 3-D technology and brought to life on screens up to
eight stories tall, with 12,000 watts of pure digital surround
sound.
"With The IMAX Experience putting you in the driver's
seat at a series of exciting NASCAR races," said Kiefer
Sutherland, "you can virtually feel the speed of the
cars and the thunder of the engines, and that's why this
film lends itself perfectly to the technology that IMAX
provides."
Sutherland stars in the FOX drama "24"
for which he won a Golden Globe Award and garnered two Emmy
nominations. Kiefer has starred in numerous films and was
seen most recently in the box office success "Phonebooth."
He will next star in the Warner Brothers film Taking
Lives opposite Ethan Hawke and Angelina Jolie.
"We're thrilled to have an actor of Kiefer Sutherland's
caliber bring his talents and passion for NASCAR to this
one-of-a-kind look at our sport," said Paul Brooks,
president of NASCAR Digital Entertainment. "Very few
people will ever be able to experience what it is like to
drive and compete at more than 200 miles per hour with the
precision and skill that NASCAR drivers achieve every week.
With NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience, we've been
able to bring that thrill and excitement, along with a behind-the-scenes
look at the science of the sport, directly to NASCAR and
IMAX fans."
"As both a fan of NASCAR and an internationally acclaimed
actor, Kiefer brings a very special dimension to this exceptional
film, which will excite, entertain and educate audiences
for years to come," said Dan Fellman, President of
Domestic Distribution, Warner Brothers Pictures.
"We're thrilled that Kiefer Sutherland has agreed
to lend his passion for NASCAR to this one-of-a-kind IMAX
3-D film," said Greg Foster, IMAX's President of Filmed
Entertainment. "Through Kiefer's involvement and the
magic of IMAX 3-D technology, audiences will see, hear and
feel NASCAR like never before, in a way that only The IMAX
Experience can deliver to movie goers."
NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience will transport
fans directly into the driver's seat to explore the world
of today's elite NASCAR drivers and teams. The film will
briefly take fans into reverse to review the history of
this legendary sport, told from the viewpoint of some of
its most revered drivers, and will then thrust into high
gear with a look at the thrilling phenomenon that is NASCAR
today. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes glimpses, as well
as gripping footage of the unpredictable action on the track,
NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience will provide a close-up
look at what motivates NASCAR drivers in and out of competition.
NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience will also focus
on the science of today's racing technology, the cutting-edge
racing machines and the underlying physics that drivers
depend on to make turns at the highest speeds while skillfully
maneuvering within inches of their competitors.
The film is directed by Simon Wincer (Lonesome Dove, Free
Willy, Phar Lap and the upcoming The Young Black Stallion).
James Neihouse, one of the large-format medium's preeminent
cinematographers (SPACE STATION 3-D, Michael Jordan to the
Max, Rolling Stones at the Max, The Dream Is Alive), is
the director of photography; Neil Goldberg (producer of
FOX's NASCAR coverage) is the executive producer; and IMAX
Corporation's Lorne Orleans is the producer, with Doug Hylton
of IMAX also producing. Principal race photography was recently
completed at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 23, 2003.
StereoPhoto
Maker Ver. 2.05 
Here
is another free software program you can use to create anaglyphic
stereo images on your computer. StereoPhoto Maker functions
both as a versatile stereo image editor and stereo image
viewer. The latest upgrade improves batch processing. The
upgrade allows you to multi-rename files, do multiple conversions
slideshows, lists and more.
The software offers an unusual feature that allows you
to make a 3-D image that can be used as a stereo image for
your cell phone. Another cool function allows you to create
a Web page that uses a JAVA-applet stereo viewer so you
can post 3-D photos on your site and let visitors to your
site choose the 3-D format they want to view including the
most popular stereo viewing methods.
- Freeviewing (parallel-eyed or cross-eyed)
- Color anaglyphs or Grayscale anaglyphs (red-cyan,red-green,red-blue
with gamma correction)
- Liquid Crystal Shutter Glasses (interlacing or page
flipping) currently requires Winx3D
(as of June 2003, this is no longer available from the
original Web site) or the NVidia Stereo Driver or any
graphics card natively-supporting quad-buffered OpenGl
or certain NVidia cards patched to a 'Quadro' using RivaTuner.
Other functions:
- Zoom In/Out (operated with mouse wheel)
- Image Scroll (operated with mouse drag)
- Left-Right Image swap
- Position, angle, size and brightness of the left-right
image can be adjusted very easily.
- Cropping
- Resize
- Print
- Slide Show Script
- Batch Stereo-Format Conversion
- Create an HTML file with Java Applet Stereo-Viewer support
- Open StereoPhoto Maker from it's icon,a batch file or
by file-extension association
- Save alignment information in StereoPhoto Maker's own
uncompressed DAS file format
- Create a slide show with mixed stereo-formats and optional
sound
- Create a stereo image for your SHARP SH251is mobile
phone
- Automatic correction of image-rotation errors
- Run an external programme to edit your images and then
return them to StereoPhoto Maker
- Multi-rename all or selected image files in a folder
- Auto-scrolling of stereo Panoramas
- Support for a two or three-button mouse
- and more.
I
Spy View-Master® Three-Reel
Set
Cleverly
crafted rhyming riddles accompanying dazzling photographic
challenges invite treasure seekers to find objects hidden
throughout the thematic pages of this national best-selling
book series known as I SPY.
I SPY has now been adapted into 21 3-D photos on
a new View-Master® three-reel
blister card. I SPY continues the View-Master®
tradition of releasing an educational product that ties
into the fun of learning through the 3-D experience.
The reels feature images with seek and find pictures featuring
the letters A to Z. To play I SPY, seek out the letter,
find the objects pictured in 3-D and say the words out loud
to hear the sound the letter makes.
Pre-readers can play I SPY by using special icons
located at the bottom of each picture. The I SPY reel
set is based on the best selling book series produced by
Scholastic. The I SPY View-Master®
three-reel set is catalog number 83492.
Crazy
Horse Memorial View-Master®
Three-Reel Set 
The
Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, Black Hills, South Dakota,
has custom produced a three-reel View-Master®
set for on-site souvenir sales. The 2003 View-Master®
set features images of the massive sculpture as it stands
today. When completed the Crazy Horse mountain carving will
be 641 feet long by 563 feet high. Crazy Horse's completed
head is 87 feet six inches high. The horse's head, currently
the focus of work on the mountain, is 219 feet or 22 stories
high. The carving project will go on for years.
Crazy Horse Memorial is a nonprofit cultural and educational
humanitarian project dedicated to the Native Americans of
North America.
Lakota Indian Chiefs invited Boston-born Sculptor Korczak
Ziolkowski to carve Crazy Horse in the Black Hills of South
Dakota. On June 3, 1948, the memorial was dedicated with
the first blast on the mountain. Special guests include
five of the nine survivors of Battle of Little Big Horn.
Korczak promises that Crazy Horse will be a nonprofit educational
and cultural humanitarian project financed by the interested
public and not with government tax money.
The foundation has three major goals: the mountain carving,
the Indian Museum of North America and the Indian University
and Medical Training Center of North America.
Dalia Miller's 3Dstereo.com has obtained some of the "on-location
sales only" blister packs and has them available for
sale online.
Star
Wars Episode One Motion Cards Uncut Sheet
Here
is an uncut sheet of Star Wars Episode One 3-D Motion cards.
The uncut sheet contains 48 cards. Each card measures 2.5"x5".
Uncut sheets of non-sports trading cards make good items
to frame for displaying on the wall like a poster. The added
effect of 3-D or motion makes it even more appealing.
Uncut sheets of non-sports trading cards are ususally given
to vendors as a promotional tool by the card companies.
These sheets are the actual cards but are uncut and have
the printer's color guides on the outer border. Based on
the prices uncut sheets bring, they are more of a novelty
than a must have collector's item. This is even though uncut
sheets are released in minimal runs and not usually offered
for sale from the manufacturer. No details are available
about how many uncut sheets are produced by the manufacturers.
Ingersoll
Stereocard Uncut Sheets
There
are uncut sheets of color lithographed stereocard views
that were printed by T. W. Ingersoll in the early part of
the 20th century. Some feature a majority of inspirational
Christian religious views on the sheet with the rest of
the images made up of various scenic views. Sizes range
from 11"x15" featuring six views and larger sizes
with 20 or more views.
It was possible for a lithograph stereocard company to
print an uncut sheet since their product did not use photographic
paper. It is not known if the uncut sheets were given to
vendors or if salespeople used them as a promotional item.
(Editor's note: "I have seen two different stereocard
uncut sheets for sale in flea markets. Asking price was
between $50 and $100 for each uncut stereocard sheet. I've
been back to those flea markets several times and both were
still sitting unsold at that price.")
See John Waldsmith's excellent book, Stereo
Views, An Illustrated History and Price Guide, to
read more about Ingersoll and the little to no interest
by collectors in color litho stereocards.
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