Impossibilia

A visual and historical chronicle of impossible objects, and the first book of its kind.  "Why do certain objects have an extraordinary ability to fascinate us and spark wonder, while others do not?" So asks Davide Fumagalli in the pages of this work - the first of its kind - which studies the genesis, history, development, and modern day mania surrounding objects that interrupt the logical mind and confound the senses. These impossible objects he has dubbed impossiblia. Readers will journey through the lands and minds of great artists, puzzle makers, ship-in-bottle builders, optical illusion designers, craftsmen, magicians, and creative problem solvers. From the work and methods of M.C. Escher to the godfather of impossible bottles, Harry Eng, Impossiblia traces the origins of this super-secret and wildly popular subculture in a way no author has before. (And a few secrets behind their creation are revealed in its pages for the first time.) Richly illustrated and stylized wi