I can thoroughly recommend this charming little hardback, which is aptly described as a "quirky and enchanting gift book reproducing a set of 1930s cigarette cards that attempted to predict what life would be like in the future". The set of Mitchell's "World of Tomorrow" is reproduced to provide illustrations for the theme, juxtaposed with cleverly chosen photographs of today's equivalent technology. While some of the predictions are amusingly far-fetched to modern eyes, many have proved to be chillingly accurate. Although achievements such as skies filled with birdmen, and the fog eliminator, still remain elusive, others, including space travel, and the Channel Tunnel, have become a reality. Then, as now, there were clearly concerns about the dwindling of earth's resources, and several of the cards suggest ideas for harnessing the inexhaustible forces of nature, such as wind turbines, solar motors, and sea-power generators. It has a total of 112 pages, including 150 illustrations, 50 of which are in colour.
PW
(C)
2008 The Cartophilic Society of Great Britain Ltd. 