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The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists
Unavailable
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists
Unavailable
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists
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The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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About this ebook

“Some of the most interesting fantasist-fabulists writing today.”
Los Angeles Times

“A science-fiction symphony of strangeness....The Cabinet of Curiosities will give you a good jolt of wonder.”
Gainesville Times

You’ll be astonished by what you’ll find in The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities. Editors Ann and Jeff Vandermeer have gathered together a spectacular array of exhibits, oddities, images, and stories by some of the most renowned and bestselling writers and artists in speculative and graphic fiction, including Ted Chiang, Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy), China Miéville, and Michael Moorcock. A spectacularly illustrated anthology of Victorian steampunk devices and the stories behind them, The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities is a boldly original, enthrallingly imaginative, and endlessly entertaining entry into a hidden world of weird science and unnatural nature that will appeal equally to fantasy lovers and graphic novel aficionados.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateJul 12, 2011
ISBN9780062109927
Unavailable
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists
Author

Ann VanderMeer

ANN VANDERMEER is the Hugo Award–winning former editor of Weird Tales magazine and has worked with her husband, Hugo–nominated and World Fantasy Award–winning writer JEFF VANDERMEER on the genre-defining anthologies The New Weird, Steampunk, and The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, and the World Fantasy Award–winning The Weird. They live in Tallahassee, Florida.

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Rating: 4.235294117647059 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a monster that shames but does not shamble, that bites but does not shit, that writhes but does not grasp.

    This anthology succeeded as a perfect diversion. Premise is simple: fictional scholar/collector travels the world assembling the merely odd and the paranormally affected. Nothing too ghastly. Just weird. I bought it for the heavy-hitters, Moore, Chiang, Negarestani and especially Miéville, and they did not disappoint. Most of these collections are typically hit-and-miss, this one was uncanny, unheimlich, and ultimately entertaining: no duds. It is no easy task, providing a portrait or provenance in static form with just a hint of unease.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    <3 <3 <3 Weird and wonderful art and fantabulous fictitious artifacts. (Also some great stories.)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I got to page 170 of this book and then decided to set it aside. It's a very creative idea; the whole book is about a fake man name Lambshead and his curiosities. It's written like a non-fiction book. I wasn’t a huge fan of Vandermeer’s “City of Saints and Madmen” either and I didn’t realize this book was related to that one (which it is).This isn't the kind of book you sit down and read, but rather a good coffee table book that you pick up now and then and read a bit of. It's intriguing, odd, but ultimately wasn't really for me.I think the thing I disliked most about this book was that it read a lot like a non-fiction book (which I am not a fan of reading a ton of non-fiction) but I knew it was all fake. So, I was suffering through reading a non-fiction-like book that wasn’t really helping me learn anything real.My favorite part of this book were the stories based off of objects in Thackery’s Cabinet; some of these were decent and I enjoyed them.Overall this book wasn’t for me but it is very creative and well done for what it is. If you are into Vandermeer’s whole fake steampunk world that he introduced in “City of Saints and Madmen” you’ll enjoy this. If you like the whole fake subject presented as real fact in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way I think you will enjoy this as well.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a book that's hard to rate - some of the stories are quite brilliant - and others less so. I like the stories of the different people actually meeting Dr. Lambshead or the descriptions of the stuff in his cabinet, but some of the stories about the actual objects dragged a bit. The illustrations are quite brilliant.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Book Info: Genre: Satire/speculative shortsReading Level: AdultRecommended for: Those who enjoy speculative fiction and clever storytellingMy Thoughts: I learned about cabinets of curiosities from reading the Pendergast novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. One of the novels is actually titled The Cabinet of Curiosities and it explains what these are. Basically, a cabinet of curiosities is a private collection of interesting and odd things, which were quite popular in the 19th century. Whatever the person putting it together is interested in would be collected. In this collection of short, speculative, essay-type stories, the various writers describe the stories behind the items in Thackery T. Lambshead's cabinet of curiosities.This book is not as funny as the book of fake diseases I just read, but it is still wonderfully well done. The various authors have written of their assigned objects so convincingly that I often found myself thinking that I should look up more information on one thing or another, but of course the chances are that they were just making things up. However, there were some fairly funny stories, such as the story “Diminutions” by Michael Moorcock, in which some men decide to bring the Gospel to germs, and to receive some extra funding:“Bannister... persuaded the governors that, if a will to do evil motivated these microns, then the influence of the Christian religion was bound to have an influence for good. This meant, logically, that fewer boys would be in the infirmary and that, ultimately, shamed by the consequences of their actions, the germs causing, say, tuberculosis would cease to spread.” [p. 169]I enjoyed the stories by Charles Yu and Garth Nix so much that I plan to look through their available works to find new books for my wishlist. So, yeah, I really enjoyed this one, too.If you are interested in this book, or if you read and enjoyed it, then you should check out the earlier anthology, The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric and Discredited Diseases (review linked here). And if you haven't read this one yet, definitely check it out; it's really fascinating and the stories are very well done.Disclosure: I bought this book for myself. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: The death of Dr. Thackery T. Lambshead in 2003 at his house in Wimpering-on-the-Brook, England, revealed an astonishing discovery: the remains of a remarkable cabinet of curiosities.A carefully selected group of popular artists and acclaimed, bestselling fantasy authors has been assembled to bring Dr. Lambshead’s cabinet of curiosities to life. Including contributions from Alan Moore, Lev Grossman, Mike Mignola, China Miéville, Cherie Priest, Carrie Vaughn, Greg Broadmore, Naomi Novik, Garth Nix, Michael Moorcock, Holly Black, Jeffrey Ford, Ted Chiang, and many more.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoyed what I read, but had to return it to the library. When in the mood for short pieces, I will probably pick it up again.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was saddened to learn of Dr. Lambshead’s passing. The world will be a poorer place without him, but what a legacy he’s left behind. Thankfully, we have luminaries from his inner circle, such people as Jeff and Ann Vandermeer, China Mieville and Naomi Novik, to name just a few, hard at work cataloging the many curiosities collected over the good Doctor’s lifetime and enlightening us of these finds.While the world of Dr. Lambshead’s younger years was not ready for it, maybe now is the time to revive interest in such automata as Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny. I could see a modernized adaptation utilizing a tablet computing device and a more anthropomorphic mannequin, replacing the crude Victorian model collected by the Doctor, to help modern families with their child rearing burdens. Yes indeed. Thanks to Ted Chiang for revealing this wonder to us.This is but one of the many wonders to be found in this very tongue in cheek collection of short stories and ramblings from some of the brightest fantasy writers publishing today. While not all of the stories are of the same level of enjoyment, unlike other anthologies with a common theme I’ve recently read, I did not find one substandard offering among them. All range from more than just very good to outstanding. Some were pure fantasy, such as Naomi’ Novik’s Lord Dunsany’s Teapot, others were decidedly steampunk influenced, as was Cherie Priest’s offering for this collection, Addison Howell and the Clockroach; the latter not surisingly bearing a resemblance to her wonderful novel Boneshaker.Being short stories, most were quick reads and each story stands alone on its own merits. The ones that were not such a quick read were so good, I did not want them to end. If you are a fan of the good Doctor, or a fan of Steampunk or fantasy that is not all Damsels and Dragons but maybe something more of an alternate reality bent, you should try this collection. I think you will find something here to like.This is an exceptional collection and well worth a full five stars. There is quite a collection of talent in this volume and each author adds to the persona of Dr. Lambhead in their own unique way.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An Appraisal of a Unique and Fascinating Tome - The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities - Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of CuriositiesAnn and Jeff VanderMeer (Editors) Harper VoyagerPublication Date: July 12, 2011Hardcover 320 Pages ISBN: 9780062004751A Word Concerning the DiscoveryAfter the death of Dr. Thackery T. Lambshead eight years ago a startling discovery was made at his manor house in Wimpering-on-the-Brook, England. Buried beneath the stacked detritus of antiques and collectibles in the basement of his Victorian-era cottage and nearly reduced to ash by fire was discovered the most remarkable cabinet of curiosities ever encountered. In it was a vast accumulation of extraordinary artifacts and curios. For the first time since that astonishing unearthing a select group of artisans (authors, fantasists, illustrators, and artists – hypnotists all) have assembled together to catalogue and craft to life the oddities recently found in Dr. Lambshead’s Cabinet of Curiosities.The Curious Contents of the Cabinet- The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities- Introduction: The Contradictions of a Collection, Dr. Lambshead's Cabinet - The Editors- Holy Devices and Infernal Duds: The Broadmore ExhibitsThe Electrical Neurheographiton - Minister Y. Faust , D. PhilSt. Brendan's Shank - Kelly Barnhill The Auble Gun – Will HindmarchDacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny – Ted Chiang - Honoring Lambshead: Stories Inspired by the CabinetThreads – Carrie Vaughn Ambrose and the Ancient Spirits of East and West – Garth Nix Relic – Jeffrey Ford Lord Dunsany’s Teapot – Naomi Novik Lot 558: Shadow of My Nephew by Wells, Charlotte – Holly Black A Short History of Dunkelblau’s Meistergarten – Tad Williams- Microbial Alchemy and Demented Machinery: The Mignola ExhibitsAddison Howell and the Clockroach – Cherie Priest Sir Ranulph Wykeham-Rackham, GBE, a.k.a. Roboticus the All-Knowing – Lev Grossman Shamalung (The Diminutions) – Michael Moorcock Pulvadmonitor: The Dust’s Warning – China Mieville - The Mieville AnomaliesThe Very Shoe – Helen Oyeyemi The Gallows-horse – Reza Negarestani - Further OdditiesThe Thing in the Jar – Michael Cisco The Singing Fish – Amal El-Mohtar The Armor of Sir Locust – Stephan Chapman A Key to the Castleblakeney Key – Caitlin R. Kiernan Taking the Rats to Riga – Jay Lake The Book of Categories – Charles Yu Objects Discovered in a Novel Under Construction – Alan Moore - Visits and Departures1929:The Singular Taffy Puller – N. K. Jemisin 1943: A Brief Note Pertaining to the Absence of One Olivaceous Cormorant, Stuffed – Rachel Swirsky 1963: The Argument Against Louis Pasteur – Mur Lafferty 1972: The Lichenologist’s Visit – Ekaterina Sedia 1995: Kneel – Brian Evenson 2000: Dr. Lambshead’s Dark Room – S. J. Chambers 2003: The Pea – Gio Clairval - A Brief Catalog of Other Items- -- An Inquisitive Review of Cabinet Curiosities by The Alternative OneParagraph the First: Being a Failing on the Part of the Critic While Indicating a Certain Genius on the Part of the Editors. The fault on my part is that due to a set of unfortunate circumstances I had never heard of Thackery T. Lambshead before purchasing a copy of the very unique and satisfying Cabinet of Curiosities. The brilliance of the editors is that for the first 20 pages or so (the entire introduction actually) I firmly believed that there really was a collector of oddities named Thackery T. Lambshead. So much so that I had to conduct a Google search to find that he (and the books about him – however vaguely) are pure fabrication. But oh, what beautiful curiosities I have been witness to here. I was spellbound and entranced from the moment I opened the tome. Unique devices, eerie tales, colossal inventions, peculiar stories, and hypnotic illustrations by the likes of Carrie Vaughn, Greg Broadmore, Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Tad Williams, Cherie Priest, Lev Grossman, Michael Moorcock, Alan Moore, and China Mieville, among others, make this one of the very best collections of dark ephemera, exhibits, relics, keepsakes, antiques, artifacts, illustrations, things in jars, and curiosities ever brought together under the cover of one beautifully etched and illuminated tome. Paragraph the Second: Being a Review of the Contents in no Logical or Discerning Order but with an Eye Pointed Squarely at the Most Curious of Oddities. The Introduction overflows with anecdotal information concerning Dr. Lambshead and his wife Helen. Unfortunately, much of Lambshead’s story is missing at this point. Fortunately, it appears that the remaining stories in the collection are rumored to shed more light on the mysterious doctor and his bevy of curiosities and indeed do not disappoint. Entries of significant import include (in order of personal enjoyment by this critic): Naomi Novik’s captivating Lord Dunsany’s Teapot; Cherie Priest’s (a perennial favorite of mine) Addison Howell and the Clockroach; Michael Moorcock’s addition Shamalung (The Diminutions); China Mieville’s always strange and imaginative Pulvadmonitor: The Dust’s Warning, and Amal El-Mohtar’s The Singing Fish. Paragraph the Third: In Which a Brief Outline of Indelible Art and Outlandish Illustrations is Revealed. The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities contains some of the very best Steampunk art you may find. With unforgettable illustrations by the hands of esteemed artists such as Greg Broadmore, Sam Van Ollfen , James A. Owen , Jonathan Nix , and John Coulthart there is steampunk curiosity enough for everyone here. Honestly folks, I would own this book just for the artwork alone, sans stories. Fortunately for all, the text matches the illustrations in beauty and elegance. Paragraph the Fourth: Recommendations by Variety of Like and Kind. If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke , Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs , Wisconsin Death Trip by Michael Lesy , or Billy Sunday by Rod Jones then The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities will certainly be an entertaining distraction for you. 5 out of 5 starsThe Alternative Southeast WisconsinAdditional Reading:Thackery T. Lambshead series: 1. The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases (2005) 2. The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities: Exhibits, Oddities, Images, and Stories from Top Authors and Artists (2011)

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