Welcome to Andy’s Anachronisms, a web site devoted to exploring the theme of Time Travel and Alternate Universes in books, film, television and other media. The concept of time travel has always intrigued me from an early age. I think it may have come together for me as a combination of an overactive imagination and a general interest in history. Dreaming of being able to magically visit any place in time as a means of bringing history alive seemed a magically fantasy as a child. As if the simple act of concentrating on the past could bring it to life, and in a certain sense it often did. Then again perhaps it can simply be attributed to watching early morning cartoons of Sherman and Mr. Peabody travelling through time in the Wayback Machine. Later in life I began to appreciate the nuances of time travel, the paradoxes, the turning points in history, and more selfishly, in one’s own life that made it such a fascinating subject for speculation. I soon found myself seeking out stories that used time travel to explore the past. I approached novels and films about time travel with great relish (hold the mustard!), always looking forward to seeing another persons take on the concept. Occasionally I would come away disappointed, but more often than not I came away from the story with a renewed fascination with the subject and an appreciation for those creative minds that can spin such entertaining yarns. Since then I’ve collected numerous references to time travel in film, books and other media and from these I set about designing this site as a means to share with others my love of time travel. In addition to sharing reviews and lists of books, film and television programs related to time travel, I also hope to meet new people that may be interested in this topic and discover new references of time travel. While I am always interested in the science behind the concept of Time Travel, I should point out that this site is not overly concerned with the scientific arguments for or against time travel. Rather the primary goal of this site is to celebrate the human imagination and our ability to use the simple premise of being able to travel in time to entertain each other. Before I leave you to peruse the rest of the web site, perhaps a bit of explanation on the name of the site -- Andy's Anachronisms -- is in order. Well, the Andy part is easy, that's me. I chose the term Anachronism partly for the aliteration, and partly because of its double meaning in the context of time travel. Traditionally the definition of anachronisms is something out of place in time. For example, if I said that William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet on his computer, the fact that computers did not exist during Shakespeare's time would make the computer an anachronism. Since in a world without time travel it is impossible for personal computers to have existed before they were invented, then the reference to computers must be incorrect and therefore an anachronism. However, if time travel were possible and I took a computer back to William Shakepeare, the computer would still be an anachronism, but it wouldn't be a figurative example anymore it would be a literal anachronism. In other words, I've used the chosen the term anachronism, to imply that all things related time travel are "out of place in time". My apologies to anyone directed here by a search engine looking for a source of anachronisms in movies or literature. You may want to check out The Nitpickers Site an informative and thorough source of anachronisms in movies and television. Otherwise, if you are looking for references to time travel, alternate history, temporal phenomenon, parallel worlds and just about anything else to do with the nature of time, then please browse around since I've got plenty. If there's something you don't see, ask. Enjoy your visit to Andy's Anachronisms and be sure to recommend us to a friend. Revised: 2003-09-23