She's Crafty | The Steampunk User's Manual

Steampunk is a topic I can endlessly spend time thinking about...

Steampunk Time Contraption by Don Urban. Some rights reserved.

Pulled Crystal by Tracy B. Some rights reserved.

Steampunk novel, The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
(Available through Link+) by Mark Hodder.

Can you really blame me? Even when I just get a glimpse of something remotely steampunk I start dreaming about fantastical gadgets, wondrous accessories, and mysterious characters who jump through time and invent the perfect tool for every job.

Imagine my delight when I came across The Steampunk User's Manual: An Illustrated Practical and Whimsical Guide to Creating Retro-Futurist Dreams by Jeff VanderMeer and Desirina Boskovich! This beautiful tome is a comprehensive guide to the w-o-r-l-d of Steampunk, the whole shebang.

From steampunk two-dimensional art and jewelry accessories to chai cycles and robo-penguins; storytelling, music, and stage performance to large scale installations, architecture, and interior design. This book is an absolute feast for the eyes and mind. Not only does Steampunk User's Manual showcase magnificent work that will inspire and delight--you get an idea of what goes on behind the scenes of some of the featured pieces as artist's talk about creating their signature projects.

Though you do not need to be a DIYer to appreciate this book, those who are willing to push their craft to the next level or have a heavy DIY background can take inspiration from the User's Manual to help them create their own work.


More steampunk craft and art books:

• Steampunk: The Art of Victorian Futurism by Jay Strongman
• The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer
• How to Draw Steampunk by Bob Berry
• The Art of Steampunk by Art Donovan
• 1000 Steampunk Creations by Dr. Grymm
• Steampunk-style Jewelry by Jean Campbell

Steampunk as a genre of fiction can be found in all age groups. What follows is merely a taste of what we have available for checkout and is by no means a complete bibliography of all our steampunk titles...

Picture books for children:

• Professor Whiskerton Presents Steampunk ABC by Lisa Falkenstern
• Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
• The Boy Who Stopped Time by Anthony Taber

"P is for Periscope."

  Chapter books for children:

• The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon by Sarah Stewart Taylor.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Teen fiction is bursting with steampunk titles and series:

• The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick
• Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Michael Mignola
• Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories
• Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath by Scott Westerfeld.
• Fever Crumb, A Web of Air, and Scrivener's Moon by Philip Reeve.
• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Don't even get me started on what's available for adults!

Okay, maybe just a few:

• Communion Town by Sam Thompson
• Phoenix Rising by Philippa Ballantine
• Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
• Clockwork Angels by Kevin Anderson
• Steampunk'd by Various
• Ghosts by Gaslight by Various
• The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

Malia

Learning | The Parasol Protectorate.

Steampunk fans will enjoy reading Gail Carriger's books.

I learned about Ms. Carriger's books from a customer, who wholeheartedly recommended the Parasol Protectorate Series, also known as the Alexia Tarabotti Series, to me.  

Soulless, Book 1 of the Parasol Protectorate Series

Quite honestly, she had me at "steampunk," but I was delighted when I started reading Soulless, the first book in the series. Carriger sets the series in a historical world that might have existed, if Victorian Society was interwoven with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and human beings. Queen Victoria has appointed a Shadow Council to oversee supernatural matters, and there is a Bureau of Unnatural Registry which keeps track of all of the werewolves and vampires in England. There are also plenty of interesting steam-powered machines used for detection, transportation, communication and warfare. (Including deadly mechanical ladybugs and porcupines!)  Alexia's parasol is her primary means of protection--and there are plenty of people who wish to see her dead in this series. History buffs will enjoy comparing the fantasy setting with the history/technology of the real world at the same time.

Alexia Tarabotti seems like a Jane Austen character. She would be a formidable force even without her preternatural status (in terms of this series, that means she was born without a soul; her touch will turn immortals human.) 

She keeps up with the latest scientific theory and technological developments. She's not afraid to protect herself...which explains why the first book opens on a scene where she accidentally killed a vampire, when she simply wanted to eat a few treacle tarts. 

Her mother and half-sisters are frivolous, mean-spirited women who are preoccupied with everything Alexia finds least interesting: who's engaged to whom, fashion, etc. 

Her best friend, Ivy, has horrible taste in hats; she may prone to malapropisms like, "persona au gratin," but she is not as foolish as she appears. 

I almost forgot to mention the great romance that transforms Miss Tarabotti into Lady Maccon by the end of the first book. If you've ever wondered about the challenges of marrying an earl who is a werewolf, look no further!

The Parasol Protectorate Series will appeal to fans of Jane Austen, P. G. Wodehouse, and Elizabeth Peters.  


Gail Carriger is writing more series to delight her fans:

Custard Protocol Series (sorry, you'll have to go to Link+ for this one)

Finishing School Series is a series for teens, set in the same fantasy Victorian Era as The Parasol Protectorate.

Soulless is the name of a manga series based on the Parasol Protectorate Series. I haven't seen it yet, but I will be looking for it.

She's Crafty | East Bay Mini Maker Faire Finale

Welcome back to our East Bay Mini Maker Faire Finale!

Malia: Faire Finds

Nothing will part me from my craft faire allowance quicker than handmade accessories and/or the parts to make my own. Finding a one-of-kind piece has become my way of bringing home a memento instead of an event sticker, shirt or poster. So, once I knew we stumbled into merchant-land, search mode kicked on. Geometric jewelry designs are a weakness of mine so I knew the triangles I found at one table were coming home with me.

Speaking of my weaknesses, steampunk is a major one. Although with most finished steampunk jewelry pieces, the cost is high and I'm usually reluctant to spend so much. Instead, I spring for grab-bags of clock parts and metal bits. Lucky for me, there was a sale on Steampunk Maker Kits. Now, I get to figure out what to do with all the fun pieces!


Kaye: More Steampunk!

Speaking of steampunk, there were a number of other areas in the Faire where we saw fascinating, one-of-a-kind, steampunk contraptions and accoutrements. Many of these were not for sale--such as the gear, widget, and metal encrusted vehicle, which was entirely roadworthy according to its owner. Although it looked really cool, I couldn't figure out how he'd wash his car. It's not like I wash my car all that often, but at least my car isn't difficult to wash...I guess you just can't be too practical-minded to get into the steampunk groove. Steampunk is definitely not for minimalists!




Malia: Walking pod

Geodesic domes are already cool enough but imagine one that WALKS! Once I figured out that the raised dome, resting on two rows of triangular appendages actually moved, I stuck around to get some video. It was amazing! And a bit creepy at the same time. I was actually surprised at how level the dome stayed throughout the movements.



Kaye: Geocaching...

Do you have a smartphone, tablet, or other device with global-positioning system (GPS) capability? If so, you can participate in a fun new pastime called geocaching. At this table, we saw folks putting small trinkets and toys into little containers of various sorts, getting them ready to hide somewhere at the Faire. Once hidden, a person would then get the GPS coordinates of the hiding location using whatever GPS technology they had handy and post the coordinates on a board where others could see them and go looking for the cache using their own GPS technology. 


It was interesting to me to see both geocaching and steampunk at the same place. It made me wonder whether the Victorians would have liked geocaching, and how they would have approached that hobby. I like to think they would have loved to go chasing about the world looking for things with pin-point accuracy (well, a 12-foot circle is a pin-point from space!) using future-is-now technology. And then, when they had found a cache, they would have looked at the wonders inside, possibly taken a trinket for a souvenir, and quietly replaced the container for the next person to find, just as geocachers do today. I wonder whether any of the steampunk folk do participate? It seems like such a good fit...

Leave us a comment and tell us what you think. And, as always--stay crafty!

Kaye and Malia