The Visual Time Traveller | 500 Years of History, Art and Science

1838

American guns and the Trail of Tears

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1673

Antonio van Leewenhook uses powerful lenses to build microscopes and observes bee mouth parts and stings. Two years later he is the executor of Jan Vermeer’s will.

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1607

Hamlet is performed aboard the East India Company ship Red Dragon while anchored off the coast of Sierra Leone.

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1838

American guns and the Trail of Tears

WATCH VIDEO

1673

Antonio van Leewenhook uses powerful lenses to build microscopes and observes bee mouth parts and stings. Two years later he is the executor of Jan Vermeer’s will.

WATCH VIDEO

1607

Hamlet is performed aboard the East India Company ship Red Dragon while anchored off the coast of Sierra Leone.

WATCH VIDEO

WELCOME

The Visual Time Traveller is a unique creative endeavour. A visually arresting book by Alison Hackett and published by 21st Century Renaissance. The book is built around 500 years of History, Art and Science interpreted in 100 Unique Designs and is a breathtaking journey for the reader.

The book is available to buy on this site and there is a special edition version available also.

This site is designed to introduce you to the book, the concept and the author. We have created some video content for you to enjoy that will provide you with a unique insight into the making of the book with critical narrative from the author

Buy your copy now and journey through the ages...

Don’t just take our word for it here are some comments from happy customers, we look forward to including yours

“I hope that more libraries have the good fortune to experience Alison and her fascinating book.”

Karen Wall, Director Mystic and Noank Library, Connecticut, U.S.

“Not only is she [Alison Hackett] forced to share a small city with da Vinci, he has even turned up in the same postal district.”

The Irish Times

“Alison Hackett reverses science into cultural history to gather it to herself, to construct a lens with which to explain the world, in a way that is at once fragmented, modern and alive.”

Architecture Ireland

“This is a labour of love, insanity, beauty and, perhaps, an attempt to reintegrate history, art and science together again.”

Irish Tech News

“An endearing kaleidoscopic view of history and human achievement.”

CARA (Aerlingus inflight) Magazine

“A beautiful, breathtaking account of human endeavour.”

Sunday Independent

“But that was only a hint of the ferment of ideas in Alison’s head. To express them more fully she founded a group called 21st Century Renaissance: dedicated to no less a thing than reviving the spirit of the original Renaissance.”

The Irish Times

"You have cheered up my life. Thank you so much.”

Alice, aged 10

“It's not just the history, it's not just the pictures- it's the whole package. Do you want to hang half the visuals up on your wall? Probably. Do you want a bit of a puzzle? - you've got it here.”

Mary Drechsler, Dublin

“This is a magnificent book, a treasure-house that is totally unique. Just the concept is exciting but the execution is brilliant, with every page a delight of illustration and design.”

Alan Sheehy-Skeffington, Dublin

BLOG

The Dialogue (with apologies to Galileo)

The Dialogue (with apologies to Galileo) This is a short script I wrote and read at the end of my inaugural Visual Time Traveller talk I presented in the RDS Library, on the 2nd of April 2014, when launching the exhibition (2 Apr - 15 May 2014). The first draft was...

Depressed. I think my new boyfriend is a chatbot

Depressed. I think my new boyfriend is a chatbot. *Some names in this article have been changed to protect identities of real people and real businesses. If you are in the business of setting up a business (with funding at an all-time-low) the off-the-shelf website...

Marketing done!

I illustrated this cartoon some years ago when Roy Keane’s autobiography was coming out. Having launched The Visual Time Traveller nine months before I was slowly beginning to understand why the publishers of celebrity-titles could hit the jackpot (marketing done!)...

1838

1673

1607

1838

1673

1607

WELCOME

Buy your copy now and journey through the ages...

“I hope that more libraries have the good fortune to experience Alison and her fascinating book.”

“Not only is she [Alison Hackett] forced to share a small city with da Vinci, he has even turned up in the same postal district.”

“Alison Hackett reverses science into cultural history to gather it to herself, to construct a lens with which to explain the world, in a way that is at once fragmented, modern and alive.”

“This is a labour of love, insanity, beauty and, perhaps, an attempt to reintegrate history, art and science together again.”

﻿“An endearing kaleidoscopic view of history and human achievement.”

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿“A beautiful, breathtaking ac﻿count of human ﻿e﻿ndeavour.”

“But that was only a hint of the ferment of ideas in Alison’s head. To express them more fully she founded a group called 21st Century Renaissance: dedicated to no les﻿s a thing than reviving the spirit of the original Renaissance.”

"You have cheered up my life. Thank you so much.”

“It's not just the history, it's not just the pictures- it's the whole package. Do you want to hang half the visuals up on your wall? Probably. Do you want a bit of a puzzle? - you've got it here.”

“This is a magnificent book, a treasure-house that is totally unique. Just the concept is exciting but the execution is brilliant, with every page a delight of illustration and design.”

BLOG

The Dialogue (with apologies to Galileo)

Depressed. I think my new boyfriend is a chatbot

Marketing done!

“An endearing kaleidoscopic view of history and human achievement.”

“A beautiful, breathtaking account of human endeavour.”

“But that was only a hint of the ferment of ideas in Alison’s head. To express them more fully she founded a group called 21st Century Renaissance: dedicated to no less a thing than reviving the spirit of the original Renaissance.”