Father and Son Offer Gift of Time Travel for Christmas - Their New Book Includes Built-In ‘Time Machine’

Seattle, WA, December 2, 2005: Author and photographer Michael S. Class has used digital composite photography to place his twelve year-old son, Anthony, in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong, and on Normandy beach on D-Day.

Father and son labored for nearly four years in their garage filled with props from an army surplus store; the garage walls were covered with blue bed sheets. The result: It looks like Anthony really did meet Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, and Audie Murphy. The book, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame ($35, www.MagicPictureFrame.com), is available at: www.MagicPictureFrame.com. The Web site displays some of the book's captivating photographs.

"I wanted to capture the interest of today's kids," says Class, "by turning American history into a grand time travel adventure.” The book is recommended for young adults, Grade 6 to Grade 12. Readers say the photographs are “amazing” and marvel at the book’s production quality. Talk radio host and film critic Michael Medved says the book is “entertaining and educational.”

"The storyline is fictional, but the history is authentic," says Class. Authentic in every detail: Even Anthony’s conversations with the people of the past are based on things they really said, all properly footnoted.

The author says the book includes a built-in ‘time machine’ that kids can use to see, hear, and experience the things Anthony did in the past. The book includes recommendations for hundreds of books, movies, music, and places to visit that bring the past alive. It’s a Christmas gift that will entertain and educate for many years to come.

It’s also a Christmas gift with a message. Anthony learns that the heroes of the past have something important to tell us: That the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose, and doing the right thing always matters. The chapter about Lindbergh’s flight is about perseverance. The story of Lou Gehrig is one of a virtuous life. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about business. The story of Apollo 11 is about wonder, taking risks, and courage. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk and the cure for polio is really about dedicating one’s life to a higher purpose. Anthony’s observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it.

"Every kid should read this book," says Anthony, the time-traveler. "My favorite chapter is when I go back in time to meet my great-grandfather at Ellis Island. I am with him the day he becomes an American." Personal family photographs were used in Anthony’s favorite chapter.

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame ($35, www.MagicPictureFrame.com), is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, or by calling toll-free: 1-800-247-6553. The book is also available on Amazon.com.

Note to editors: The author and his son are available for interviews. Photographs and review copies are available.

Contact: Michael S. Class (author), 425-222-7562, class@MagicPictureFrame.com, Magic Picture Frame Studio, P.O. Box 2603, Issaquah, WA 98027-0119. Or contact: Maryann Karinch (publicist), 970-577-8500, maryann@karinch.com.