DESC: An excerpt from airship-maestro Michael Moorcock's THE WAR OF THE AIR (1971)--one of the prototypes in the genre--kicks off Ann and Jeff Vandermeer's collection STEAMPUNK. Avoiding an academic tone, this book nevertheless sets out to be a rigorous study: brief introductory editor's annotations precede each entry; Jess Nevins provides a historical introduction to steampunk as a genre going back to "Edisonade" pulp stories from the late 19th century; and Rick Klaw and Bill Baker provide personal essays about their relationship with the genre and its filmic and other pop-culture instantiations. Other contributors include: Michael Chabon, Neal Stephenson, Mary Gentle, Ted Chiang, Jay Lake, Rachel E. Pollack, and Ian R. MacLeod.