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Editor's picks

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  Automata and Mechanical Toys

  Book (Crowood Press)
  

  Rating (7 reviews):

  (4.4/5)

  

  A Good Buy for Beginning Builders

  Depending on what your interests are, this can be a valuable addition to your library. It is not for collectors, in my opinion, and most of the examples are on the "folk art" side: crude, kitschy, and sometimes even made of junk. There are profiles of a few builders who make complex automata demonstrating fine craftsmanship, such as the wonderful Keith Newstead and John Grayson. I would have preferred to have some detailed explanations of how some of their automata work, though. The REAL strength of this book is if you are beginning to make your own automata and would like to have a "kit" to experiment with. The book contains full sized plans for an experimenter's "kit" which is really nice. I have Robert Addam's "How to Design and Make Automata" and CMT's book, but they both only have crude drawings with no dimensions. I made photocopies of the parts and then used Xylene to transfer directly onto plywood and cut the parts out on a scroll saw, saving a great deal of time and giving me... 4/5 Brad Alan Sommers (Sonoma, Californ--i-a) - See all my reviews, November 24, 2004

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  A Must for Automata Enthusiasts!

  This book is everything you could ask for in book on contemporary artistic automata.Each chapter has a brief summary of the topic in question -- say tools and materials. Next, each chapter moves on to showcase the work of two or three automata artists with many pictures and a page or two of information about each artist.The photographs of automata in this book are outstanding. You can really get a sense for the devices, their construction, and most especially, their finishes.If you love automata, want to see more of them, and want to learn about some of the top automata artists in the contemporary scene, this book is a must-have. 4/5 Dug North "Automata Artist" (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Automata and Mechanical Toys (Hardcover) This book is everything you could ask for in book on contemporary artistic automata.Each chapter has a brief summary of the topic in question -- say tools and materials. Next, each chapter moves on to showcase the work of two or three automata artists with many pictures and a page or two of information about each artist.The photographs of automata in this book are outstanding. You can really get a sense for the devices, their construction, and most especially, their finishes.If you love automata, want to see more of them, and want to learn about some of the top automata artists in the contemporary scene, this book is a must-have. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , June 9, 2003

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  Excellent book! Great color pictures and diagrams

  This has got to be one of the best books on the subject of automata and mechanical theatre. There are lots of great color pictures and diagrams to build your own automata. Worth the money! 5/5 Karl Williams (Kitchener, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews This review is from: Automata and Mechanical Toys (Hardcover) This has got to be one of the best books on the subject of automata and mechanical theatre. There are lots of great color pictures and diagrams to build your own automata. Worth the money! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , June 10, 2003

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  List Price: $45.00
  

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  Automata and Mimesis on the Stage of Theatre History

  Book (Palgrave Macmillan)
  List Price: $80.00
  

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  Paper Models That Move: 14 Ingenious Automata, and More (Dover Origami Papercraft) (English and English Edition)

  Book (Dover Publications)
  

  Rating (1 reviews):

  (5.0/5)

  

  alot like karakuri

  this book is very similiar to the karakuri book the begining is just information on paper animation and the begining is just mechnisms for you to use to create your own models and then it has some full animation kits in it.the first 9 models in the paper models that move book are just teaching you difrent mechnisms and how they create movment and the book gives you ideas of how to use these movments to create your own model but i didnt do any of those the last 6 are compleat animation kits and i just finished the third one.the first one is a pretty simple model and not very hard its calledhappy birthday and its just a stork carrying a baby that flaps its wings and moves back and forth.the seconed model is called ducks on the pond its a very nice looking model it just is a simple turntable that moves a set of ducks around in a circle and thrugh a little lilly turnel.the third model is the one that is the center picture on the cover its called pyrimid... 5/5 wiialien - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Paper Models That Move: 14 Ingenious Automata, and More (Dover Origami Papercraft) (English and English Edition) (Paperback) this book is very similiar to the karakuri book the begining is just information on paper animation and the begining is just mechnisms for you to use to create your own models and then it has some full animation kits in it.the first 9 models in the paper models that move book are just teaching you difrent mechnisms and how they create movment and the book gives you ideas of how to use these movments to create your own model but i didnt do any of those the last 6 are compleat animation kits and i just finished the third one.the first one is a pretty simple model and not very hard its calledhappy birthday and its just a stork carrying a baby that flaps its wings and moves back and forth.the seconed model is called ducks on the pond its a very nice looking model it just is a simple turntable that moves a set of ducks around in a circle and thrugh a little lilly turnel.the third model is the one that is the center picture on the cover its called pyrimid... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 27, 2012

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  List Price: $22.95
  

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  Drummer Timberkit

  Toy (MK and Co.)
  

  Rating (3 reviews):

  (3.3/5)

  

  educational

  This a clever wooden toy, you put together or buy completed. I bought both and found the one I put together was better than the completed one, which had several severe mistakes which kept it from working as it should. It needs to be designed more thoroughly. Turning the handle to make the little figure move, usually made things just fall out of place. It is certainly not possible for a young child to have this as it would fall apart after 5 minutes of play. It is best left on a shelf to look at and think it cleverly built. 4/5 Charles Bayne "taxicab33" (Rockville,MD) - See all my reviews, September 10, 2009

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  great kit

  This is a good kit: good instructions, pieces fit and durable. The recipient finished it in one day. As for playing with it, there is only a handle to crank, and it doesn't stay in place that well. The real point of a toy like this is the assembly. 2/5 jasmine "cat lover" (michigan) - See all my reviews = Durability:, March 26, 2009

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  dissapointment

  I am disappointed with this product as the parts are not identified to match up with instructions to put together and it's a guessing game as to witch part and length is witch as it's In millimeters and I'm not familiar with those and don't want to struggle with trying to put this together. It seems for that kind of money they could have easily Identified the pieces as they are packaged in separate plastic containers and cross referenced the instructions to the pieces. Won't make another purchase from them again, still unsure about returning kit. Patrick 4/5 Patrick DuBos - See all my reviews = Durability:, March 28, 2012

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  Automata and Mechanical Toys

  Book (Landmark Books Intl)
  

  Rating (2 reviews):

  (4.5/5)

  

  Excellent primer on automatons and mechanical toys

  Profusely illustrated on nearly every page, this classic book on the subject of mechanical toys and automatons (which cannot rightly be considered "toys") is perfect for someone just starting their research into this magical world. Hillier covers the complete history of mechanical figures, from Ancient Egypt to modern battery-operated robots. The majority of the book is spent on Victorian-era automata and early 20th century mechanical toys. There is a small section of color plates, listing of manufacturers and their marks, and a thorough bibliography. Highly recomended! 4/5 Willow Polson "writer and whatnot." (Groveland, Calif.) - See all my reviews, April 28, 2000

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  A must have book on the subject

  A complete guide on the subject of automata. Lots of pictures, ilustrations and drawings. A must have item for everyone interested in this magical world. 5/5 Daniel S. Rodrigues (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews, March 27, 2010

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  List Price: $9.98
  

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  Wood Automata Tips & Tricks

  eBooks (Ken Schweim)
  List Price: $9.99
  

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  Automaton

  Book (WoodsfortheTrees)
  

  Rating (4 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  I Loved This Book

  If you are looking for a book that has a great storyline, deep characters, action and intrigue, you need to read this. In Automation, the author draws the reader in with descriptions so vivid you feel as though you are living the book. The main characters are people to be discovered and delved into. And once you discover them, you realize that things aren't always as they seem. The twists and turns of this book keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Just when you think you have everything figured out, your heart and mind will be gripped by the unfolding of events. This is a book for the intellectual and the romantic. Automation gains my 5 stars and so does the author. 5/5 Angie Russell (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Automaton (Kindle Edition) If you are looking for a book that has a great storyline, deep characters, action and intrigue, you need to read this. In Automation, the author draws the reader in with descriptions so vivid you feel as though you are living the book. The main characters are people to be discovered and delved into. And once you discover them, you realize that things aren't always as they seem. The twists and turns of this book keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Just when you think you have everything figured out, your heart and mind will be gripped by the unfolding of events. This is a book for the intellectual and the romantic. Automation gains my 5 stars and so does the author. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 15, 2012

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  This is a MUST READ book!

  I really enjoyed this book. The story and characters had my interest from the beginning and I found it difficult to put down. I read it in two days! You can tell that the author knows her stuff...the court scenes were riveting. I have lived in Canberra and really enjoyed reading about places that I was familiar with - it made me miss my old home town! This book is a 10 out of 10 and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great read. 5/5 NicBakke "nfyi" - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Automaton (Paperback) I really enjoyed this book. The story and characters had my interest from the beginning and I found it difficult to put down. I read it in two days! You can tell that the author knows her stuff...the court scenes were riveting. I have lived in Canberra and really enjoyed reading about places that I was familiar with - it made me miss my old home town! This book is a 10 out of 10 and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great read. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , February 10, 2012

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  Don't waste your money.....!

  Too slow. Too many characters.I could not withstand reading it and went directly from chapter 7 to 19.Suspicious 5 star reviews.Don't waste your money. 1/5 Fernando - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Automaton (Kindle Edition) Too slow. Too many characters.I could not withstand reading it and went directly from chapter 7 to 19.Suspicious 5 star reviews.Don't waste your money. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 11, 2012

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  List Price: $20.00
  

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  Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination

  Book (Harvard University Press)
  

  Rating (3 reviews):

  (5.0/5)

  

  Talking Heads, Squating Ducks, Chessplaying Turks, and Robot Revolts, Oh My!

  Picking up a history of automata, one expects to find a historical narrative of machine men evolving over the centuries into the car assembling and hand shaking robots of today. In Kang's narrative, the physical devices are perhaps the least important part of the story. Kang doesn't dwell on what the talking head said or what the digesting duck ate, but finds out where the ideas came from, who promoted them, and how they aged over time. Kang's narrative is a story of automata in the imagination as a fitting metaphor for our conception of self, government, industry, and that which we love or hate in different historical periods. As the automata is both attractive and vile, so too are the ideas that have long been associated with the term. It stands in for the perfection of the human body and the universe in a world designed by a divine watchmaker, the rational mind, the efficient worker, conformists with no will of their own, tyrants, the oppressed, monsters, human hubris, workers... 5/5 Daron - See all my reviews This review is from: Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination (Hardcover) Picking up a history of automata, one expects to find a historical narrative of machine men evolving over the centuries into the car assembling and hand shaking robots of today. In Kang's narrative, the physical devices are perhaps the least important part of the story. Kang doesn't dwell on what the talking head said or what the digesting duck ate, but finds out where the ideas came from, who promoted them, and how they aged over time. Kang's narrative is a story of automata in the imagination as a fitting metaphor for our conception of self, government, industry, and that which we love or hate in different historical periods. As the automata is both attractive and vile, so too are the ideas that have long been associated with the term. It stands in for the perfection of the human body and the universe in a world designed by a divine watchmaker, the rational mind, the efficient worker, conformists with no will of their own, tyrants, the oppressed, monsters, human hubris, workers... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 4, 2011

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  Great book

  The history of robots goes back beyond the 50s and 60s and this book talks about it intelligently, but without reading like stereo instructions. When I picked this book up to read about Golems, I was surprised to find out that there were "robots" of sorts in Ancient times. Recommended for every history and/or engineering nerd out there. 5/5 libellus (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination (Hardcover) The history of robots goes back beyond the 50s and 60s and this book talks about it intelligently, but without reading like stereo instructions. When I picked this book up to read about Golems, I was surprised to find out that there were "robots" of sorts in Ancient times. Recommended for every history and/or engineering nerd out there. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 15, 2012

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  "The life-imitating machine as both a thing and an idea."

  This book is on the Rorotoko list. Professor Kang's interview on "Sublime Dreams of Living Machines" ran as the Rorotoko Cover Feature on April 13, 2011 (and can be read in the Rorotoko archive). 5/5 ROROTOKO (rorotoko dot com) - See all my reviews This review is from: Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination (Hardcover) This book is on the Rorotoko list. Professor Kang's interview on "Sublime Dreams of Living Machines" ran as the Rorotoko Cover Feature on April 13, 2011 (and can be read in the Rorotoko archive). Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , October 7, 2011

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  List Price: $39.95
  

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  Creative Kinetics: Making Mechanical Marvels in Wood

  Book (Sterling)
  

  Rating (7 reviews):

  (3.7/5)

  

  A disapointment

  The cover is misleading. It shows an interesting artwork but the text is trivial in ideas. The approach is to consider a mechanical linkage, cam, crank etc., and then give detailed instructions on making boring and trivial example. The frustrating aspect is that photographs of interesting but complex pieces are scattered through the book. I expect that he author felt that explaining the basic mechanisms was the major point. What is omitted is combining multiple mechanisms and creating something other than a simple toy for a six year old. The result is an unbridged gap between the art that is occasionally illustrated and the bulk of the text. The first 71 pages could have been covered in fewer than seven pages with no loss. The first interesting photographs are on pages 72 and 73. This construct looks as if it utilizes at least half dozen mechanisms. I am sure that there are a number of interesting problems in the design and construction of this item. What would have been interesting... 2/5 Donald Martin "DonOES" (Renton, WA United States) - See all my reviews, March 25, 2008

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  Expected more

  I have mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to like it because I liked the author's prior book and I expected this to be a continuation. The cover art suggested more complex movements than the book describes. Books by Rodney Peppe and the author's prior work are more useful than this book. The examples tend to be of the rather simple, single movement kind. For example, put a ball on a stick, put a pivot point in the middle of the stick, push the lower end of the stick back and forth and watch the ball move back and forth. The book does cover simple movements well. Another example, you can make a cardboard profile of a face, make the jaw with a pivot point and a long lever, then move the lever up and down to open/close the mouth. Possibly, the book was intended for a very young audience, or the author wished to get something out without giving away his "secrets." There is anecdotal wisdom here instead of descriptions about combining various mechanical movements, and... 2/5 Robert Anderson - See all my reviews, April 2, 2008

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  Great for the mechanically un-inclined!

  When I set myself the task of making a moving-part toy, I decided it needed a crank to run. The only problem is that the last time I studied simple machines was in 4th grade. No problem, right? I wandered down to the library and checked out six kinetic sculpture books (along with spending a few hours online).The other books were full of ideas, inspiration, and some fascinating discussions of how a piston engine works. But not ONE really explained what a cam was, or how to get my crank to move something up and down instead of circularly.Until I got this book.Thank goodness for Creative Kinetics! For those of us who remember nothing about simple mechanics (or for children who are just learning for the first time), it gives very basic illustrations to help you understand what different mechanisms are (pulleys, gears, cranks, flywheels, levers, etc), how changing the measurements affects the amount of work they do, and how to use a mechanism to create a... 5/5 Book Readin' Pixie (California, USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Creative Kinetics: Making Mechanical Marvels in Wood (Paperback) When I set myself the task of making a moving-part toy, I decided it needed a crank to run. The only problem is that the last time I studied simple machines was in 4th grade. No problem, right? I wandered down to the library and checked out six kinetic sculpture books (along with spending a few hours online).The other books were full of ideas, inspiration, and some fascinating discussions of how a piston engine works. But not ONE really explained what a cam was, or how to get my crank to move something up and down instead of circularly.Until I got this book.Thank goodness for Creative Kinetics! For those of us who remember nothing about simple mechanics (or for children who are just learning for the first time), it gives very basic illustrations to help you understand what different mechanisms are (pulleys, gears, cranks, flywheels, levers, etc), how changing the measurements affects the amount of work they do, and how to use a mechanism to create a... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 23, 2009

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  List Price: $14.95
  

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  Automaton Transfusion (Unrated and Undead)

  DVD (Dimension Extreme)
  

  Rating (85 reviews):

  (2.1/5)

  

  I would rate it lower if I could...

  DON'T JUDGE A BOOK, ER MOVIE, BY ITS COVER! I pretty much picked this movie up because the cover looked cool, and I never thought a movie could be THAT bad...but this movie proved me wrong. The quality is horrible. It's like watching one long, crappy webisode. When the camera moves, everything on screen gets blurred.The effects were cool, but that's the only thing this movie has going for it. The acting is horrendous, and the story is pretty much non-existant, and doesn't make sense. It's incredibly corny, and some of the kills are over the top...which would work in a parody film, but doesn't work in this film because they're trying to present themselves as serious.If you like to sit around and make fun of movies with your friends, then this is the prime candidate right here. 1/5 Tronik (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Automaton Transfusion (Unrated and Undead) (DVD) DON'T JUDGE A BOOK, ER MOVIE, BY ITS COVER! I pretty much picked this movie up because the cover looked cool, and I never thought a movie could be THAT bad...but this movie proved me wrong. The quality is horrible. It's like watching one long, crappy webisode. When the camera moves, everything on screen gets blurred.The effects were cool, but that's the only thing this movie has going for it. The acting is horrendous, and the story is pretty much non-existant, and doesn't make sense. It's incredibly corny, and some of the kills are over the top...which would work in a parody film, but doesn't work in this film because they're trying to present themselves as serious.If you like to sit around and make fun of movies with your friends, then this is the prime candidate right here. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , March 18, 2008

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  Low budget zombie mayhem that squanders its potential

  Automaton Transfusion is an ultra low budget, gore-fest, zombie bash that has been made my some obvious zombie flick fanatics, but sadly any potential that it has gets squandered. The story, for lack of a better word, revolves around a group of high school seniors that get caught in the middle of a zombie epidemic, and try to get out of town. While story isn't really all that important in a pure zombie flick, it would be nice if we at least cared a little bit about the characters here. We don't, at all, and instead just pray for their bloody demise. It should also be noted that these zombies are of the running variety, which would mean that the action and scares would be aplenty. Well, they aren't either, and the film as a whole just comes off as boring. There are loads of gore effects, where most of Automaton Transfusion's budget seemed to go. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as the gore effects are quite well done for a low budget flick, and are every bit as... 2/5 N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews, March 4, 2008

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  Warning! Avoid this trash!

  I'd rate this movie lower if I could. The only reason I actually watched this entire movie was because I foolishly purchased it on a whim at Walmart. I love zombie movies and it sounded okay. It would be okay if it was a first year film student's work, but this just sucked on so many different levels. I really felt I needed to warn the unsuspecting zombie fans. If the bad acting, lack of anything near a plot, and poor filming isn't bad enough, they had the nerve to end it with "TO BE CONTINUED". To be continued??? Are they out of their minds? I just subjected myself to 75 minutes of one of the worst films ever made--and I actually paid money for it! Do they really think people will waste more of their precious life to see more of this? In my opinion, they didn't know how to end it, so they put a "to be continued" as the ending. What do they care? They already got our money. Please, avoid this trash at all costs. It's 75 minutes of your life you'll never get back. Root... 1/5 L. Weiss (USA) - See all my reviews, May 3, 2009

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  List Price: $9.95
  

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