The International Society for the Study of European Ideas (ISSEI) held a conference in Helsinki in 2008 on the topic of "Language and the Scientific Imagination." This volume arises from one of the workshops at the conference, and it contains 14 essays--a mix of re-worked conference contributions and several commissioned presentations. The subject is the movement that arose in the early 20th century known as the Futurist movement, founded in 1909 by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, addressing aesthetic and cultural issues in connection with the technological revolution and the new Era of the Machine. A sampling of topics: science and the aesthetics of geometric splendor in Italian Futurism, an anti-philosophy for the age of technology, Futurist poetics and Futurism in connection with the cinematic imagination, the radio, electronic literature, and photography. Editor Berghaus (theater history and performance studies, U. of Bristol, UK) has brought together the work of scholars of the various arts, based in Europe, the US, and Canada. The book is elegantly produced on coated stock, and it includes an index. Price is converted to euros and subject to fluctuation. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)