Muybridge - by Guy Delisle (Hardcover)

About the Book

"How do you capture a changing world in the blink of an eye? Sacramento, California, 1870. Pioneer photographer Eadweard Muybridge becomes entangled in railroad robber baron Leland Stanford's delusions of grandeur. Tasked with proving Stanford's belief that a horse's hooves do not touch the ground while galloping at full speed, Muybridge gets to work with his camera. In doing so, he inadvertently creates one of the single most important technological advancements of our age--the invention of time-lapse photography and the mechanical ability to capture motion. Critically-acclaimed cartoonist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang, Hostage) returns with another engrossing foray into nonfiction: a biography about Eadweard Muydbridge, the man who made pictures move. Despite career breakthrough after career breakthrough, Muybridge would only be hampered by betrayal, intrigue, and tragedy. Delisle's keen eye for details that often go unnoticed in search of a broader emotional truth brings this historical figure and those around him to life through an uncompromising lens. Translated from the French by Helge Dascher & Rob Aspinall, Muybridge turns a spotlight on what lives in the shadow of an individual's ambition for greatness, and proves that Eadweard Muybridge deserves to be far more than just another historical footnote"--

Book Synopsis

How do you capture a changing world in the blink of an eye?

Sacramento, California, 1870. Pioneer photographer Eadweard Muybridge becomesentangled in railroad robber baron Leland Stanford's delusions of grandeur. Tasked withproving Stanford's belief that a horse's hooves do not touch the ground while galloping atfull speed, Muybridge gets to work with his camera. In doing so, he inadvertently createsone of the single most important technological advancements of our age--the invention oftime-lapse photography and the mechanical ability to capture motion.

Critically-acclaimed cartoonist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang, Hostage) returns with anotherengrossing foray into nonfiction: a biography about Eadweard Muybridge, the man whomade pictures move. Despite career breakthrough after career breakthrough, Muybridgewould only be hampered by betrayal, intrigue, and tragedy. Delisle's keen eye for detailsthat often go unnoticed in search of a broader emotional truth brings this historical figureand those around him to life through an uncompromising lens.

Translated from the French by Helge Dascher & Rob Aspinall, Muybridge turns a spotlighton what lives in the shadow of an individual's ambition for greatness, and proves thatEadweard Muybridge deserves to be far more than just another historical footnote.

Review Quotes

"Adventurer, horse photographer, killer... The new comic book from the revered Quebecois graphic novelist vividly relates the extraordinary life story of Muybridge. It's a rollicking ride, told in Delisle's typically light-footed style." --Phil Hoad, The Guardian

"A playful and immersive portrait of a man who stopped time." --Kirkus

"The fractious life of pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge is chronicled in this brisk but thorough graphic biography by Delisle (Factory Summers)... Delisle draws with his usual comedic verve, and keeps the pace at a lively clip while weaving in significant research." --Publishers Weekly

"An engrossing art history lesson, enhanced by Delisle's examination of Muybridge's ambition and the challenges he has to overcome in order to make his dreams a reality." --Oliver Sava, The AV Club

About the Author

Born in Québec City, Canada, in 1966, Guy Delisle now lives in the south of France with his wife and two children. Delisle spent ten years working in animation, which allowed him to learn about movement and drawing. He is best known for his travelogues about life in faraway countries: Burma Chronicles, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City, Pyongyang, and Shenzhen. He has since expanded his oeuvre by telling a Doctors Without Borders acquaintance's story as a nail-biting thriller (Hostage) and revisiting his teen years and first summer job (Factory Summers).