Last month in the 3-D NEWS you read Lawrence Kaufman’s positive review of 3D A-to-Z, byRichard Kroon. This is a book so good that I am submitting my own review in depth for the LA 3D Club web site. To begin with, this is a book that should be purchased by any 3D imaging enthusiast who is interested in anything more than how to put on the glasses to view a 3D movie! This reference, which comprehensively covers most of the terms you can run into in the field of stereoscopic 3D today (1700 entries), is written in a style that can be followed easily even by most beginners. Kroon and the 27 other contributors have done a splendid job researching and writing clear definitions and descriptions from every conceivable corner of this complex technical field. If, in a definition or description, you occasionally come across a technical term or acronym you are not familiar with, simply look it up in the book and you will usually find it clearly defined on its own. Many of the subjects are treated in the kind of depth reserved for an encyclopedia, which makes it more than just a dictionary. The book is well illustrated with 262 pictures, including a middle section of color plates, which are essential for demonstrating various color concepts such as the variety of anaglyph systems.
Books such as this challenge the typical purposes people have for buying a reference book. The usual reason to buy it is to have on hand for looking up information or definitions of subjects that come up in the course of research, casual reading, or conversation. We compartmentalize our reading into “non-fiction,” which, with some exceptions, is read most often for information only, while “fiction” is reserved for enjoyment. But 3D A-to-Z, for me at least, was as enjoyable for me as any fiction I have ever read — it turned out to be a cornucopia of fascinating goodies, consisting of terms I had never heard of, such as “3D Flash Lidar,” as well as some striking surprises, such as the correction of a common misconception in the description of “linear polarization.” The pages are a joy to behold, so different from the unrelieved, seldom paragraphed, fine-print text found in the typical encyclopedia of the past. These pages, with their frequent illustrations, readable print, and limitations of paragraph length, keep you interested and eager to go on to the next tantalizing subject. In addition, if you are reading just for enjoyment, you dont’t have to start at the beginning to preserve the sequence of a narrative; you can start anywhere and go on from there, or go back to an earlier subject if it suits you, without spoiling any preconceived order. The only part that needs to be read from its beginning to the end is the forward, “Z-Space Linguistics.” Written by Ray Zone, stereoscopic history’s “Little Jack Horner,” the forward pulls out the plums of Ray’s amazing research into details of past attempts to make sense of stereoscopic terminology. The forward alone is a good reason to get this book on a historical information level.
Now for the discount information: This book ordinarily retails for $75. You can get a substantial discount by purchasing the book at Steve Berezin’s site. However, only if you are an LA 3D Club member in good standing or a paid-up subscriber to the 3-D News, you can order the book for a special discount price of $42.25, including tax (nearly 50% off the cover price). Simply go to the special website as listed in the November issue of the 3-D NEWS, click on the “Buy Now” button and use your credit card or PayPal account to purchase your copy of 3D A-to-Z. For delivery, the web site allows you to choose to pickup your copy at the next Club meeting for no extra charge or to have it delivered for only $5 more. If you’d rather pay by cash or check, send an email to sales@hollywords.org letting Richard know that you’d like to pay for your copy in person at the next Club meeting. That way, you’ll avoid the PayPal/credit card fees and only have to pay $41.00 for your copy of this outstanding 3D reference. If you buy it, you’ll be glad you did!
