# Identify this SF story or stories **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528 "2019-09-19T22:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/1 "2019-09-19T22:30:00Z")
I have some vague jumbled memories about a story. These memories seem connected to me, but I’m not sure if they’re all from the same story or perhaps I just read several stories in one anthology and they now seem connected. The first memory is a story about an old 19th century “panorama”, a very large landscape painting that was unfurled in front of viewers to give the impression that they were traveling past that landscape. According to the story this was a common entertainment in the 19th century, but most of the paintings were poor quality amateurish stuff. But in the story, a _special_ panorama was found, that had some supernatural quality that I don’t quite remember. The second one was that someone had a time machine, and they were using it to go back to witness and film historical events, solely for the purpose of using the film to make dramatic historical movies. I think he was going back to the Spanish-American war to get battle scenes. The third one was again related to a time machine. Someone who used it to go back millions of years to see live dinosaurs mentioned that they were convinced of the authenticity of the experience by the fact that the dinosaurs were brightly colored, and no hoaxer would have thought of that. Any of this ring any bells? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/2 "2019-09-19T22:37:26Z")
I think I recognize the 2nd one but I’ll have to look thru some stuff to find the story. I’m willing to bet that our resident SF scholar **Andy L** will know these (or this). ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/3 "2019-09-20T03:08:02Z")
The second story could be “E for Effort”, except they used a “time viewer” instead of an actual time machine. > **[E for Effort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_for_Effort)** > > "E for Effort" is a science fiction novelette by American writer T. L. Sherred, first published in 1947, about the consequences of a time viewer, a machine that projects images of the past. It has been reprinted many times, including in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame. > The story was Sherred's first science fiction publication. > According to Algis Budrys, it was contrary to the spirit of Astounding Science Fiction, where it appeared, and it "dismissed" the "bourgeois aspirations" of ASF's edit... ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/4 "2019-09-20T03:14:14Z")
Aye; that’s the story I was thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/5 "2019-09-20T03:45:16Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > The first memory is a story about an old 19th century “panorama”, a very large landscape painting that was unfurled in front of viewers to give the impression that they were traveling past that landscape. According to the story this was a common entertainment in the 19th century, but most of the paintings were poor quality amateurish stuff. But in the story, a _special_ panorama was found, that had some supernatural quality that I don’t quite remember. Not the book you’re looking for but if you can find a copy check out _Banvard’s Folly_ by Paul Collins. It’s a collection of biographical articles about people who were once famous but who have now been forgotten. And the subject of the title article is John Banvard, who popularized the panorama paintings you’ve described. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/6 "2019-09-20T03:46:37Z")
You two ninja’ed me. “E for Effort” sounds like the second story described by markn+. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/7 "2019-09-20T12:04:01Z")
The first story sounds quite like the novella _The Asylum of Dr. Caligari_ by **James Morrow** but it only came out a couple of years ago so it’s probably not! Here’s a [picture of the cover](https://www.flickr.com/photos/17270214@N05/35061828270) an a brief description. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/8 "2019-09-20T13:32:33Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > The second story could be “E for Effort”, except they used a “time viewer” instead of an actual time machine. > > [E for Effort - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_for_Effort) A similar story is “[The Technicolor Time Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Technicolor_Time_Machine)”, but their movie was about Vikings. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/9 "2019-09-20T14:52:38Z")
How about “The Great Time Machine Hoax” by Keith Laumer [The Great Time Machine Hoax - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Time_Machine_Hoax) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/10 "2019-09-21T23:00:40Z")
Ok, I’m sure that E For Effort is the second story I was thinking of. Thanks for that! The Great Time Machine Hoax does not ring a bell. I don’t think that’s one of these stories. I sure wish I could come up with the panorama story. That one has been lurking on the edge of my memory for years. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sf-story-or-stories/840528/11 "2019-09-22T01:10:58Z")
I remember that first story, but dang if I can remember where I read it or who wrote it. I want to say I read it in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.