CANTON -- Local author and St. Lawrence University graduate Tom French will discuss his book, River Views: A History of the 1000 Islands in 3-D, from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 at Brewer Bookstore, Park Street.

French’s book is a collection of over 100 full-size 3-D stereoviews from the Victorian era and includes a special viewer that allows readers to view the 125-year-old photographs in their original three dimensions.

The publication won a Silver Medal in the 2012 Independent Publishers Book Awards for Best Regional Non-fiction in the Northeast.

French will have an antique viewer and stereocards during the event so that patrons will be able to see views not included in the book.

Several of the 3-D photographs were taken in St. Lawrence County and the Canton area.

The 3-D photographs, known as stereoviews or stereopticons, were originally taken between 1865 and 1890, many by local photographer A.C. McIntyre. McIntyre operated a photo studio in Ogdensburg between 1865 and 1870 before moving to Alexandria Bay where his photographs became quite popular.

The book includes many close-ups from the stereocards, illuminating details that cannot be discerned even under the magnification of the stereoptic viewer, including signs for ice cream, art galleries, news stands, and railroad schedules.

French’s work has been featured in Mac|Life, Adirondack Life, Adirondack Explorer, Stereo World, and the Watertown Daily Times. He is an English teacher in Massena and lives in Potsdam