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.