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Captain Kodak: A Camera Story
"In the olden days people peered about in the world for the fountain of perpetual youth. Nowadays they are wiser. They find a hobby--an enthusiasm, by which the old are made young and the young are made wise and happy. This is the story of the camera hobby; of an amateur photographer and his chums; of a boy's adventures in the company of his camera; of a camera club and the old and young brought together by the influence of a common interest; of journeys in search of the picturesque; of problems, struggles, and surprises. The pictures are not by any means always intended to show my readers how photographs should be made, but rather to suggest the interest of familiar and accessible things, and that the best thing about a photograph is not always the thing we wished or expected to put in it."
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1899
5 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Black
17 booksAlexander Black (1859–1940) was an American author, photographer, newspaper man, and the inventor of the pre-cinema “Picture Play” which debuted in 1894.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexand...
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexand...
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 29, 2023
Jun 26, 535pm ~~ Review asap. This was a fun one!
Jul 28, 6pm ~~ This book showed up at Project Gutenberg in March of 2023, and caught my eye right away for the date of publication (1899) and the pictures that accompanied the text. I loved seeing the clothing styles and cityscapes from back in the day. It turned out that the author himself took all the pictures in the book, even the first one of the elephant. And when I went to look him up after I finished reading, I was not surprised to find that he was a photographer and journalist, who had created something called a Picture Play, where he took a series of photos which went along with a script. I suppose you could call it an early ancestor of a motion picture.
At first I supposed that the book would be a sort of how-to guide for cameras, and there was some technical information, but it was all blended into a surprisingly exciting story about young Alan Hartel the local doctor's son who found himself captivated by the new pastime of taking pictures. I got a kick out of the huge box camera he was so excited to have won in a contest. And how not much later he bought himself what he called a cartridge camera so he would not have to worry about those glass plates. This was in the early days of picture taking but apparently at the beginning of the phase where regular people were able to buy easy to operate cameras. It was fun to think of how our obsession with cameras began so innocently.
The very first night Alan had his camera, when he was still exploring it and learning what each button did, there was a warehouse fire and he went running off to try and get some 'snaps' of the event. This eventually involved a little bit of a mystery: was the fire set on purpose? Did any of Alan's pictures turn out okay? If so, could they help the fire marshal decide if there had been arson involved?
Alan and two friends formed a camera club in the barn, with a darkroom and everything. They invited other people, even accepting adults and girls, whoever was interested in the new craze of photography. The club had regular meetings and went on outings and eventually had a show, and everyone had great fun.
But there were dramas involved for Alan (aka Captain Kodak) and his friends: an escape from prison, a storm at sea, an old man in the woods who insisted he was Alexander Hamilton (still alive after all these years!), a theft, a trip to the zoo, even a war! All sorts of things seem to happen when cameras are involved!
I liked how the author incorporated current events of his day into his story. At the zoo the phrase 'the lady or the tiger' came up and when I googled, it turned out that the famous story of the same name was published in 1882. Then at one point during the boat ride that turned into a storm at sea, Alan used a phrase which the author commented on by saying that the boy had read Nansen. I googled Nansen and learned that he was the first European to travel across Greenland. That happened in 1888. The last example was the Spanish-American War which occurred during 1898. Aland and his friends were able to visit the local Army camp at the end of the war and Alan (well, the author) got a picture of Teddy Roosevelt and some shots of Rough Rider camp life.
I think one of the most fun aspects of this book for me was realizing how it was published when my Grandfather was ten years old. I guess that is another reason the pictures were so interesting to me: I could imagine him in them.
I also liked the modern ideas the author expressed through Alan. I would have liked chatting with Alexander Black, even though I have never been a big fan of living life through the lens of a camera. He seemed like someone a few decades ahead of his time, judging from the character he gave young Alan. I will certainly be reading this again Someday!
Jul 28, 6pm ~~ This book showed up at Project Gutenberg in March of 2023, and caught my eye right away for the date of publication (1899) and the pictures that accompanied the text. I loved seeing the clothing styles and cityscapes from back in the day. It turned out that the author himself took all the pictures in the book, even the first one of the elephant. And when I went to look him up after I finished reading, I was not surprised to find that he was a photographer and journalist, who had created something called a Picture Play, where he took a series of photos which went along with a script. I suppose you could call it an early ancestor of a motion picture.
At first I supposed that the book would be a sort of how-to guide for cameras, and there was some technical information, but it was all blended into a surprisingly exciting story about young Alan Hartel the local doctor's son who found himself captivated by the new pastime of taking pictures. I got a kick out of the huge box camera he was so excited to have won in a contest. And how not much later he bought himself what he called a cartridge camera so he would not have to worry about those glass plates. This was in the early days of picture taking but apparently at the beginning of the phase where regular people were able to buy easy to operate cameras. It was fun to think of how our obsession with cameras began so innocently.
The very first night Alan had his camera, when he was still exploring it and learning what each button did, there was a warehouse fire and he went running off to try and get some 'snaps' of the event. This eventually involved a little bit of a mystery: was the fire set on purpose? Did any of Alan's pictures turn out okay? If so, could they help the fire marshal decide if there had been arson involved?
Alan and two friends formed a camera club in the barn, with a darkroom and everything. They invited other people, even accepting adults and girls, whoever was interested in the new craze of photography. The club had regular meetings and went on outings and eventually had a show, and everyone had great fun.
But there were dramas involved for Alan (aka Captain Kodak) and his friends: an escape from prison, a storm at sea, an old man in the woods who insisted he was Alexander Hamilton (still alive after all these years!), a theft, a trip to the zoo, even a war! All sorts of things seem to happen when cameras are involved!
I liked how the author incorporated current events of his day into his story. At the zoo the phrase 'the lady or the tiger' came up and when I googled, it turned out that the famous story of the same name was published in 1882. Then at one point during the boat ride that turned into a storm at sea, Alan used a phrase which the author commented on by saying that the boy had read Nansen. I googled Nansen and learned that he was the first European to travel across Greenland. That happened in 1888. The last example was the Spanish-American War which occurred during 1898. Aland and his friends were able to visit the local Army camp at the end of the war and Alan (well, the author) got a picture of Teddy Roosevelt and some shots of Rough Rider camp life.
I think one of the most fun aspects of this book for me was realizing how it was published when my Grandfather was ten years old. I guess that is another reason the pictures were so interesting to me: I could imagine him in them.
I also liked the modern ideas the author expressed through Alan. I would have liked chatting with Alexander Black, even though I have never been a big fan of living life through the lens of a camera. He seemed like someone a few decades ahead of his time, judging from the character he gave young Alan. I will certainly be reading this again Someday!
Displaying 1 of 1 review