"The world as we know it today began in California in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, and a man named Eadweard Muybridge had a lot to do with it. This assertion is at the heart of Rebecca Solnit's book, which weaves together biography, history, and insights into art, technology, landscape, and photography to create a boldly original portrait of America on the threshold of modernity.".

"During a period of feverish creativity that commenced in 1872, Eadweard Muybridge succeeded for the first time in capturing high-speed motion photographically - the crucial breakthrough that made movies possible. He also continued his series of photographs of the monumental landscape of the American West; served as official photographer of the Modoc War, California's most dramatic Native American conflict; and, in a blaze of publicity, stood trial for the murder of his wife's lover."--BOOK JACKET.