3D WONDERLAND by Yoshio Tsuboike, translated...

3D WONDERLAND by Yoshio Tsuboike, translated from the Japanese by William Flanagan (Tokuma Shoten: $15.95; 55 pp., illustrated, paperback original) and MAGIC EYE: A Book of Postcards by N.E. Thing Enterprises (Andrews & McMeel: $8.95; 30 pp, paperback original). The current fad for three-dimensional optical illusions rivals the 3-D film craze of the early ‘50s. Available as book, posters, comic strips and now postcards, the “Magic Eye” scenes have become the visual equivalent of the Pet Rock. American readers love to see a recognizable picture emerge from a chaos of colored marks--unless they have strabismus and/or astigmatism, in which case, they may just see a chaos of colored marks. The more intelligent “Wonderland” offers an overview of the fad, including computer-generated images and paired visuals that can be viewed through a stereopticon.