The world as we know it today began in California in the late 1800s, and Eadweard Muybridge had a lot to do with it. This striking assertion is at the heart of Rebecca Solnits new book, which weaves together biography, history, and fascinating insights into art and technology to create a boldly original portrait of America on the threshold of modernity. The story of Muybridgewho in 1872 succeeded in capturing high-speed motion photographicallybecomes a lens for a larger story about the acceleration and industrialization of everyday life. Solnit shows how the peculiar freedoms and opportunities of postCivil War California led directly to the two industriesHollywood and Silicon Valleythat have most powerfully defined contemporary society.