Table of Contents

• Introduction: The Time Capsule Experience
• Time Capsule Milestones in World Chronology
• 1 How Time Capsules Work
• 2 Notional and Archaeological Time Capsules
• 3 The Time Capsule's Ancient Origins and Modern Transformations
• 4 The Golden Age of the Grand Time Capsules
• 5 Writing Down the Ages
• 6 Keeping Time in a Perpetual Futurescape
• 7 Epilogue: Our Ideal Time Capsule
• Bibliography
• Index

About the Author

William E. Jarvis is an associate professor emeritus (Library Faculty) at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.

Reviews

"an expansive view...covers thousands of years...diverse...many illustrations...interesting...recommended"-Choice; "recommended"-Public Library Quarterly; "thought-provoking and valuable"-History News; "exhaustive and scholarly study...historical...illuminating...fascinating"-Historic Environment; "a remarkable compilation of anecdotes and historical traces on its topic, along with an enthusiastic and often breathless running analysis. The book is a good read and extraordinarily useful for cultural studies courses"-Journal of Popular Culture; "the first extensive scholarly treatment...through diligent effort...Jarvis has apparently located nearly everything germane to the cultural history of time capsules...wonderfully detailed...Jarvis's treatise is the best place to get an overall sense of the time capsule experience"-Libraries & Culture; "definitive"-Seattle Weekly; "Brilliant...it's been a long time since I enjoyed a scholarly work so much."-Dr. Bill Katz, Professor (Emeritus) Albany-SUNY, School of Public Service, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. "An informative (and highly readable) history of a fascinating and enduring aspect of human behavior."-Richard Gid Powers, professor of history, The Graduate Center, City University of New York. "An extraordinarily enterprising piece of scholarship...represents a pioneer endeavor...should...be read by academics and a wider public...should also stimulate wider interest in its subject."-Dr. Brian Durrans, Department of Ethnography, The British Museum, London; "Provides a serious analysis of the history, function, and image of time capsules...certainly the definitive reference on the topic."-Richard J. Cox, professor, archival studies, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh. "Will surely stand as a landmark in cultural history and studies for years to come...an exceptional piece of research; indeed, it is a model of how one should go about documenting cultural history."-Dr. Robert Ascher, professor emeritus, anthropology, theatre, film and dance, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.