Diableries

de Brian May, Denis Pellerin, Paula Richardson Fleming

Stereoscopic 3-D viewers were all the rage in 1860s France, when a series called "Diableries" flooded the market. The photos depicted table-top sculptures of demons and skeletons cavorting in the underworld, often with political and social implications. What made these cards particularly interesting is the black-and-white images seemed to magically transform to color when held up to the light. The team behind this book (including Brian May, founder of the popular British rock band "Queen"), attempted to unearth not only all of the Diableries cards, but also the stories behind them. The lengthy Series "A" collection is complete, digitally restored and presented as full-page stand-alone photos as well as color and black-and-white stereosopic images, available to view with accompanying "Owl" viewer designed by May. Dwindling attention is shown to later series, with 'E', 'E-H' & ''F" presented as thumbnails, and two images were unaccounted for at the time of publication.