The attitudes of animals in motion, illustrated with the zoopraxiscope

In a grand evening of 1882, under the auspices of the Royal Institution and chaired by the Prince of Wales, Eadweard Muybridge unveils a revolutionary way to see animals in motion. The book traces humanity’s centuries‑long fascination with how creatures move—from Aristotle’s musings to 19th‑century experiments that finally lifted the mystery from speculation to evidence.

Through a series of crisp zoopraxiscope images, readers discover the precise rhythm of a horse’s gallop, the subtle choreography of a walking quadruped, and the surprising gaps between artistic convention and mechanical fact. The narrative balances scientific detail with reflections on how painters and sculptors have long idealised speed, revealing why many traditional depictions missed the truth. Listeners come away with a clearer picture of the mechanics behind each stride and an appreciation for the moment when photography began to speak the language of motion.