Robinson in Space

"Robinson in Space" is a visual, satirical record of a journey made by a fictional character called Robinson, narrated by his travelling companion and researcher, through the increasingly unknown space of present-day England. Robinson quotes Oscar Wilde: 'It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible not the invisible'. His assumptions about economic failure, especially in manufacturing industry, are gradually challenged by the discovery of an industrial economy that employs few people but still generates most of the wealth of the fifth-largest economy in the world. "Robinson in Space" incorporates material from the award-winning film of the same name that was released just before the British 1997 General Election. The book juxtaposes the narrative and over 200 intriguing, strange-yet-familiar images from the film to take the reader on a fascinating journey through the landscapes of present-day England.

ISBN 1861890281   Pages 240 ISBN13 9781861890283 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Reaktion Books   Weight (grammes) 605 Imprint Reaktion Books   Published in London Format Paperback   Series title Topographics S. Publication date 25 Jan 1999   Height (mm) 234 Library of Congress PR   Width (mm) 156 DEWEY 306.0942   Spine width (mm) 19 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level General, Professional / Scholarly

Keiller takes the reader to places neither the camera nor the narrator would have been able to reach on celluloid. The sidebars and footnotes add an enormous amount of information that both educate the reader and further elucidate the writer's purpose ... the touch is deft, subtle and ironic, never preachy. Time Out The book-of-the-film includes stills, research notes and annotations. It does a superb job of excavating the stealth economy which operates behind the picturesque scenery of inter-urban deprivation creating more wealth than ever but keeping it in fewer hands. Essential. i-D

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