Prophets of Zoom [Hardcover]

Alfredo Marcantonio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

In the mid-1930s, Stephen Mitchell & Son, a cigarette manufacturer based in Scotland, joined the craze for producing cigarette cards. The firm created 'The World of Tomorrow', an imaginative series of cards that set out to forecast the future. Each of the 50 cards uses a specially commissioned illustration or a still from a contemporary science fiction film to make a significant prediction about the way people will be living in years to come: the transport they will be using; the houses they will be building; the offices in which they will be working; and the modes of communication and sources of energy they will be employing. What is astounding, some 70 years on, is the extent to which these often amusing predictions have come true. This novel gift book reproduces all 50 cards and juxtaposes them with a photograph of today's equivalent technology, proving just how amazingly accurate the original predictions were. It brings together 50 fascinating predictions of the future made in the mid-1930s, from space travel to the advent of e-mail. It is a highly original gift book for readers of all ages. It is engagingly written by a leading creative director, whose work in the field of advertising has won him numerous awards.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alfredo Marcantonio is a writer and creative director who has been involved in the development of some of Britain's most successful advertising campaigns, including those for Heineken and BMW. He is the author of several books about advertising.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Merrell Publishers (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858944015
• ISBN-13: 978-1858944012
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,389,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A smoky crystal ball, August 27, 2010

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prophets of Zoom (Hardcover)

In 1936 the Scottish cigarette maker Mitchell & Sons issued a set of fifty cards called 'The world of tomorrow'. With one to a pack smokers back then had to get through a ton of tobacco leaves to collect the set. Apart from the subject matter what set these cards apart from all the others was that they were in black and white. Generally other cigarette cards were in color, mostly illustrations but here was the future in glorious black and white, I suppose this gave the photos some credibility as if they had appeared in a newspaper or magazine.

This is a delightful little book with the front and back of each card, reproduced life-size, on a left hand page and facing it a color photo of today's real-life version. Speed and transport was always a favorite for future folk so here is a Road liner (Mercedes coach) Railplane (Shanghai's maglev monorail) Streamlined train (Tokyo-Osaka bullet train) Super-airplane (Airbus A380) Launching a space ship (NASA Space shuttle).

Actually the 1936 look at the future threw up some strange concepts, for example: Frost eliminator (Swiss gas heater for crop protection) Revolving house (San Diego had one in 2003) Rocket post (Email) and something that most likely will never happen: the Gibraltar Dam! Overall the predicted future from 1936 really did turn out to be real a few decades later.

'Prophets of zoom' is a fun book and nicely can be picked up now at bargain prices. A book I enjoyed that covered the same subject is Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future with a broad look at everything futuristic as seen from the past.

***LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.