Steampunk Birthday Present

Cafe Society
1

A friend of mine is having her birthday at the end of this month, and as she’s very interested in steampunk I thought I would get her something related to that.

Now, I know what steampunk is, but that’s about it. I’ve searched for “steampunk store” on google, but I only found one website that has a decent range of items (got-steam). So my problems are that I’m not sure what to get her, and I’m not sure where to find stores that sell steampunk things.

I’m currently in China, so I would like to find a website instead of a physical store if possible (although a physical store that sells things online would work). I would prefer not to use Ebay.

This friend is female, turning 16, likes to read (she can read very, very fast) and is highly intelligent. She isn’t very into computers, though. She’s going to become a biologist/biochemist/molecular biologist. As she’s just recently gotten into steampunk, she hasn’t read many books yet. Perhaps I could get her a collection of classic steampunk books, but I don’t know what they are.

My budget is about $200-$300 dollars US.

2

Weta Workshop in New Zealand (who made the Lord Of The Rings movies, etc) have a range of Steampunk Rayguns. Many are hugely expensive, but the miniatures are more affordable.

3

Too bad she’s not into computers, but then looks like Datamancer’s out of your price range. He’s got some nice jewelry that might be affordable.

There’s also quite a bit of steampunk stuff on instructables, maybe you’ll be inspired to make her something.

4

Those are excellent links! Thank you both.

I’ll take a deeper look at those, but does anyone know where I can find some steampunk robot miniatures (or an actual robot). Don’t mind price for this one.

5

This is what they are. Blaylock, Powers, and Jeter are the key authors in the origin of the genre.

6

You don’t like eBay, but how do you feel about Etsy? Search on “steampunk” there and you’ll find a lot of jewelry, accessories, and knickknacks. A friend of mine has an Etsy shop featuring brass jewelry with a steampunk flair, and if her stuff doesn’t look to be your friend’s style then someone else should have stuff for sale that does.

I have no special interest in or knowledge of steampunk literature, but The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling is supposed to be one of the big classics of the genre. I have not read this book so I have no idea if a 16 year old girl is likely to enjoy it, but it’s one of the important works of the genre. FWIW, steampunk is only about 20-30 years old, so you’re not going to find fancy sets of the classics. For something like that you’d need to turn to the 19th/early 20th century science fiction authors like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne who helped to inspire steampunk.

I don’t know that it would strictly be considered steampunk, but I can personally recommend The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers. It’s a time-travel story involving a conspiracy of magicians and a modern man who’s transported back in time to early 19th century London. It’s rather violent in places, but nothing a teenager couldn’t handle. It should be available from any major bookseller.

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I can only recommend movies. Any way of knowing if she’s already seen any of these?

**Steamboy **is probably the height of the genre. A recent largely overlooked one is called Perfect Creature; it’s a steampunk Vampire-slash-detective movie. Not without its flaws, but highly original and very strong as an example of steampunk design.

Personally, I think the alltime greatest masterpiece of steampunk is arguably the movie that spawned the genre, David Lynch’s Dune.

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I am almost completely sure that she hasn’t seen those. Thanks for the recommendations.

I’ll take a look at Etsy.

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…except for the fact that the movie didn’t spawn the genre.

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Here are some mad cool glass ray guns. He doesn’t list prices, but I’m sure they are out of your price range, if he’s still in business.

Wikipedia’s page on steampunk has much information. If the Wild Wild West TV series is on DVD your friend might enjoy it - particularly the scenes when Robert Conrad has his shirt off. :wink: It’s sorta cheesey 60s proto Cyberpunk fun.

While I normally love Bruce Sterling’s work, The Difference Engine is not his best, IMO. If you want to introduce your friend on a new (to her) author, I’d suggest starting with Sterling’s Islands in the Net. It’s the best near future extrapolation I’ve read, and I’ve read quite a few. The arguments the main character has with her mom are all too real. Great stuff!

Some of Miazaki’s films have steampunk-like elements, for example Kiki’s Delivery Service has an airship.

Il respectfully disagree with lissener about Lynch’s Dune. I cannot recommend that particular flick, especially if you or your friend has read the book.

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I got my Steampunk friend some goggles. Apparently they are popular. Like driving goggles or something like that.

Google images “steampunk goggles” and you’ll see.

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These rayguns were mentioned in a previous thread, and when I moved to Vancouver I went and checked out his shop, giving a report in [thread=480276]this thread[/thread]. At the time the full sized rayguns were $600. Tres cool, though.

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If you think the Girl Genius on-line comic may appeal to her, you could get her some books or other stuff from their on-line store.

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Steampunk is very, very Victorian looking, a good bet is anything:

A. Victorian Looking
B. Something modernish covered in brass, basically “retromodern”
C. “Industrial” feeling

Here is an Abney Park concert it’s a very good reference for what Steampunk looks like, notice the brass-highlighted guitar, the pounding “metal” drum beat, the dull feel, and the pseudo-Victorian wear of the guitarist (and the hair, but I doubt you’ll be buying her hair).

Here’s their store, the apparel section is particularly of note if she’s not into the band (though if she’s never heard of it a CD may get her a new interest), steampunk goggles are nice and depending on her tastes a leather corset may work if she likes to do stuff in costume now and then.

If she likes anime at all Last Exile is supposedly very good (been meaning to get around to it myself), my steampunk fanatic friend raves about it endlessly. In addition, a lot of Hiyao Miyazaki’s work falls vaguely in steampunk territory, from the much more obvious Future Boy Conan or Laputa: Castle in the Sky to the “vaguely related” Howl’s Moving Castle. There’s also Steamboy, which is kind of a steampunk Akira (Akira is a very highly rated anime).

There’s also some other offshoots I won’t go into unless your friend is into it like Clockpunk, Cogpunk, and Steamgoth which are similar but have some distinct feels that she may like or utterly despise depending on her tastes.

Hope some of that helps at least, I have some book titles but I’m waiting for my friend (the aforementioned steampunk fanatic) to help out a little and see if we can’t establish at least a somewhat working “steampunk canon” for you to look at.

Edit: I see lissener mentioned Steamboy, consider this a second.

15

Steampunk webcam. I have one, they’re cool. Cheap, too. OK, the store link says theyr’e not currently available, but you are uniquely placed right now to make enquiries.

Otherwise, a pair of suitable goggles are de rigueur.

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I promise I am not Jragon’s steampunk fanatic friend, and I vouch for this series. It’s awesome.

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Warehouse 13 on SyFy has some great steampunk gear. Maybe a DVD?

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Some steampunk themed jewelry here.

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Oh, wow. Hey, if any northern Dopers are down with Santa Claus, tell him Marlitharn NEEDS one of those hair forks!

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Thank you all very much for your posts. We’re both Asian, so we both stereotypically like anime. I may get her a ray gun/jewelry/miniature and a book series/movie/Last Exile.