• Stereo Views, An Illustrated History and Price Guide 2nd Edition by John Waldsmith
• Sunecho.com View-Master® Reel
• Historic Charleston: Stereographs from the Civil War Era View-Master® Reel
• View-Master® Viewer featured in Mary J. Blige Music Video
• NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience
• StereoPhoto Maker ver. 2.05
• I SPY™ View-Master® Three-Reel Set
• Crazy Horse Memorial View-Master®Three-Reel Set
• Star Wars Episode One Motion Cards Uncut Sheet
• Ingersoll Stereocard Uncut Sheets

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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.