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The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists
by
Ann VanderMeer,
Jeff VanderMeer (Goodreads Author)
For lovers of Steampunk, Dark Fantasy, and Eccentric Contraptions! After the death of Dr. Lambshead, an astonishing cabinet of curiosities was unearthed at his house. Many of these artifacts and wonders related to anecdotes and stories in the doctor's personal journals, or the adventures of his friends. We are now proud to present highlights from the doctor's cabinet, reco...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
July 10th 2012
by Harper Voyager
(first published July 1st 2011)
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Sep 12, 2011
Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-anthology
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/09/...
I was so excited when I received this book for review! It’s only lately that I’ve begun to warm to anthologies,and I often look upon them to discover an author’s work that I’m not familiar with,with a minimum of commitment. Cabinet of Curiosities gave me that,and much,much more! The anthology is based upon the (fictional) story of Thackery T. Lambshead (1900-2003),a mad doctor of sorts,and his odd and vast assortment of re...more
I was so excited when I received this book for review! It’s only lately that I’ve begun to warm to anthologies,and I often look upon them to discover an author’s work that I’m not familiar with,with a minimum of commitment. Cabinet of Curiosities gave me that,and much,much more! The anthology is based upon the (fictional) story of Thackery T. Lambshead (1900-2003),a mad doctor of sorts,and his odd and vast assortment of re...more
I've had this fabulous tome for awhile now, and probably still haven't finished reading it, not really. This is not because of a defect in the book, but is rather because it is, as the editors say in the introduction (quoting Oscar Wilde), "a browsing experience, to dip into and to savor, rather than take a wild carriage ride through." And that's exactly how I've been approaching the book, reading an entry here and an entry there, not reading it from cover to cover. And I think it works best thi...more
Aug 19, 2011
Marcus
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all Steampunks and people interested in weird fiction
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities is by far the strangest collection of tales I have thus far laid my hands on. It is also one of the most fascinating.
Where to start? This whole book is one complete piece of art, within and without. The hardcover is beautifully designed and a gem in every bookshelf. The stories,tales, artwork, photographs inside are entertaining, inspiering and sometimes rather haunting. The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images,...more
Where to start? This whole book is one complete piece of art, within and without. The hardcover is beautifully designed and a gem in every bookshelf. The stories,tales, artwork, photographs inside are entertaining, inspiering and sometimes rather haunting. The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images,...more
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Like the previous Lambshead book, this collection playfully blurs the distinction between fiction and non-fiction, in this case by inviting contributors to present outlandish, fantastic ideas and tales as if they were grave scientific accounts, or sober memoirs, or terse entries in a museum catalogue. The weird, or a sense of the uncanny, are difficult to evoke where abstraction and cleverness have displaced atmosphere and narrative drama, but Tad Williams and China Mieville manage to invent art...more
Review Courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
THE THACKERTY T. LAMSHEAD CABINET OF CURIOSITIES is a unique compilation of bizarre object illustrations and stories about the fictional Dr. Lambshead’s collection of knick knacks, relics, and devices found in his massive cabinet. I was amazed at the detailed yet fictional history of Dr. Lambshead and his cabinet provided in the introduction. What follows this elaborate introduction is a massive and varied collection of stories about the cabinet and its...more
THE THACKERTY T. LAMSHEAD CABINET OF CURIOSITIES is a unique compilation of bizarre object illustrations and stories about the fictional Dr. Lambshead’s collection of knick knacks, relics, and devices found in his massive cabinet. I was amazed at the detailed yet fictional history of Dr. Lambshead and his cabinet provided in the introduction. What follows this elaborate introduction is a massive and varied collection of stories about the cabinet and its...more
Reading The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities was like finding a chest your grandparents kept hidden in the attic and discovering it full of wondrous treasures and secrets. For me, it was my great uncles–obsessive readers, war veterans, and I’ll be honest–hoarders. When they passed away in the ’90s the family came together in Virginia to clean house. The house, over 100 years old, was like a museum. The experience thrilled me, like a child in a candy shop. The Cabinet of Curiosities d...more
An odd and curious pastiche of literary fiction, horror, humor, history, and steampunk. I'm somewhat entertained by this book, but remain unconvinced by the premise since the tone varies from scholarly to journalistic to quirky horror. I felt the stories needed a stronger anchor than the introductory chapter to establish a more compelling theme than the Cabinet of Curiosities, as well as a large dose of the tongue-in-cheek humor necessary to pull off a (faux) historical account of the (fictional...more
Magic. The framing narrative of the book tells the life story of an eccentric professor (mad scientist, really) with an awe-inspiring collection of objects that fit the word "curiosity" to a T. The introduction and filler bits work the various contributing authors into the narrative, so well that at times I wasn't sure who was a fictional character and who a real-life writer. And of course, I can't argue with any collection that includes not only a China Mieville story, but also a series of draw...more
This is in my view a case of Steampunk gone wrong. While having a few moments of interest the book managed to put me to sleep several nights in a row, I NEVER fall asleep reading. Cabinet of Curiosities is a collection of short stories and art presented as real events, a la Blair Witch, dealing with Thackery Lambshead and the fantastical, magical and downright odd artifacts in his collection. while featuring some of my favorite authors, ( Garth Nix, Carrie Vaughn and Tad William) I found it to b...more
A group of science fiction authors made up Dr. Lambshead, an eccentric collector of the bizarre and macabre, and wrote a series of pseudo-scholarly essays describing items in his collection. It's a genre I really like but is pretty sparsely populated: fiction in the form of nonfiction. A lot of it is playing with the uncanny, things that are almost, but not quite, human; or straddle the line between animate and inanimate.
I don't know whether I've read the whole book, it's the sort of thing that...more
I don't know whether I've read the whole book, it's the sort of thing that...more
A collection of a fictional collection. An impressive gathering of well-known and lesser-known authors contribute to this loose compilation defining Thackery T. Lambshead and the items stored in his cabinet. As is inevitable, some stories definitely rise above others. The first chapter on the Broadmore Exhibits sets the bar fairly high for the following chapters.
The cabal that gathered for this steampunk-infused anthology are leaders in expanding where speculative fiction will go in the future;...more
The cabal that gathered for this steampunk-infused anthology are leaders in expanding where speculative fiction will go in the future;...more
Þetta er ein af fáum bókum sem ég hef verslað mér vegna titilsins. Ástæðan er sú að furðuskápar eða Cabinet of Curiosities voru upphaf safna eins og við þekkjum þau í dag. Á síðmiðöldum kepptust ríkir hefðarmenn við að safna furðugripum og hlutum frá fjarlægum stöðum. Sjá mátti t.d. höfuðkúpu einhyrnings, síamstvíbura, einstök listaverk og gripi frá fjarlægum löndum sem varla þekktust í heimsmynd vestræns samfélags.
Thackery T. Lambshead, eða Lambshaus eins og við getum kallað hann, er persónuskö...more
Thackery T. Lambshead, eða Lambshaus eins og við getum kallað hann, er persónuskö...more
Jan 18, 2013
Randolph Carter
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in weird fiction
Shelves:
fiction,
strange-stories
How do you describe a book so strange and unique it defies genre? The Cabinet of Curiosities is like no other book. Probably closest to steampunk, that doesn't even begin to describe it. The illegitimate child of Monty Python and Umberto Eco.
Full of contributions from dozens of artists and authors, it's "entries" vary from stories inspired by, to descriptions of the items contained (or formerly residing, or related to) in the Cabinet, a sort of organic museum itself that defies description, lit...more
Full of contributions from dozens of artists and authors, it's "entries" vary from stories inspired by, to descriptions of the items contained (or formerly residing, or related to) in the Cabinet, a sort of organic museum itself that defies description, lit...more
Just started reading this thinking it was steampunk (it is marketed as steampunk). It is not. It is set firmly in the 20th Century. It is very Fortean though and entertaining so far - with one blaring exception.
Page 30: "...segmented body of the Turrilepus Gigantis was..."
ALL scientific names, ALL OF THEM, the genus is capitalized and the species name is lower case, AND it is either italicized or underlined. No exceptions. By not following this rule of nomenclature it tells me the editors are sl...more
Page 30: "...segmented body of the Turrilepus Gigantis was..."
ALL scientific names, ALL OF THEM, the genus is capitalized and the species name is lower case, AND it is either italicized or underlined. No exceptions. By not following this rule of nomenclature it tells me the editors are sl...more
Thackery T. Lambshead. I didn't read reviews of this, but what I'd seen of it at various bookstores and events, I knew I wanted to read it. The concept of a cabinet of curiosities and the stories behind the items thrilled me, not only because I love a good story, but also because I am intrigued by unique and random items. Ripley's Believe It or Not stories were some of my favorite childhood reading and I expected something similar. However, I didn't realize that there isn't actually a Thackery T...more
I really liked the *idea* behind this book. And I really liked what Ann VenderMeer wrote about the book on John Scalzi's blog, "Whatever". I really wanted to get a kick out of how this thing was done. But aside from a few fun stories, I felt really let down.
Here's the basic premise: Thackery T. Lambshead has a collection of eclectic oddities that he stores in his mansion in some ill-specified cabinet. Each of the contributors to the "Cabinet of Curiosities" anthology contributed words or artwork...more
Here's the basic premise: Thackery T. Lambshead has a collection of eclectic oddities that he stores in his mansion in some ill-specified cabinet. Each of the contributors to the "Cabinet of Curiosities" anthology contributed words or artwork...more
Big fan of Jeff Vandermeer, and this collection of short stories all tied together with the same premise has some real gems. As with any collection, some stories are better than others.
From my view, Vandermeer appears to have frontloaded most of the good stuff, which made finishing a bit of a slog at the end.
As with the editor himself, some authors explore differnt forms of narrative. And the authors take the titular character and his odd and seemingly endless collection in all sorts of directio...more
From my view, Vandermeer appears to have frontloaded most of the good stuff, which made finishing a bit of a slog at the end.
As with the editor himself, some authors explore differnt forms of narrative. And the authors take the titular character and his odd and seemingly endless collection in all sorts of directio...more
Hmm. Some of this is four-star material, some is one-star.
Generally speaking the more story-like pieces worked better for me.
The descriptions of artifacts usually just didn't click for me. They were imaginative but somehow not engaging. Perhaps it's because that format doesn't draw you into Lambshead's world the way a story does.
Wherever you start dipping into this, don't judge it until you've hopped around a bit. You might love it; you might hate it.
Generally speaking the more story-like pieces worked better for me.
The descriptions of artifacts usually just didn't click for me. They were imaginative but somehow not engaging. Perhaps it's because that format doesn't draw you into Lambshead's world the way a story does.
Wherever you start dipping into this, don't judge it until you've hopped around a bit. You might love it; you might hate it.
Dec 23, 2011
Brad T.
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011,
started-but-didnt-finish
This book looked amazing in the book store and if I had read an actual hard copy version it would probably have been amazing. In ebook format, its really not good. This really isnt a story as much as it is a fictionalized inventory of oddities that a collector put together over the years with strange histories. If you are looking for stories, you may want to look elsewhere. I didnt bother finishing this one.
There is so much imagination on display on display in this book. All the writers and artists involved are clearly having a great time as they create the world and legends. As much fun as the earlier 'Pocket Guide', this title has lengthier essays and a strong narrative throughline where articles reference back and the Lambshead myth is explored a little more.
Oct 19, 2011
Angel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
steampunk fans
This book was a pleasure to read, and it is one to browse through. Pick the passages that appeal to you first, then come back and read others. The book combines a feel of nonfiction, kind of like like reading an exotic guide or even something like the 10th edition Brittanica combined with a good fiction collection. There is also a subtle sense of humor along with a sense of wonder in the collection. Since I borrowed the copy I read, I did feel a bit rushed, but this is a book I would not mind bu...more
As befits the fictional collection, Cabinet harbours a myriad of delights, along with gorgeous paintings, sketches, and photographs (the book itself is gorgeous). Luminaries such as Michael Moorcock, China Mieville, Mike Mignola, Alan Moore, Lev Grossman, Tad Williams, Minister Faust, and dozens beside contribute tales, descriptions, and more, resulting in an anthology of vastly differing styles and themes. The entries, bearing titles such as Dunkelblau's Meistergarten, The Electrical Neurheogra...more
Never read the first anthology that was the lead in to this but made it a point to pick this up as it included some of my favorite writers and one of my all time favorite artists. Obviously with an anthology the chances that all the short stories be stellar is most likely not going to happen. Although this was an anthology I would have loved if there was some sort of underlying cohesiveness or maybe a reference to another artifact in some of the stories. Of course that would have taken more plan...more
This book was a waste of my time. If I wasn't so against the simple action of burning books, I would burn this one.
Some of this stuff is great, and a lot of it is fun, but there are a lot of duds. I've got a complaint about the physical appearance of the book- it's cheaply bound and printed on thin off white pulpy paper: at first I thought I'd picked up a children's book. The poor paper gives the drawings and photographs a grainy murky appearance, which is a shame- the images of the items from the collection are (or could be) the best part of the book. The photograph entitled "Frog Resurrection" looks intrig...more
"The Singing Fish" by Amal El-Mohtar is just wonderful. Now I want this book.
<3 <3 <3 Weird and wonderful art and fantabulous fictitious artifacts. (Also some great stories.)
Some good short stories but otherwise rather dry....
FUN!!!
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