the invention is embodied in a method of recording successive holograms in a recording medium , using at least a fan of m waves along at least a first axis with a separation angle between adjacent waves and directing the fan of m waves as a reference beam along a reference beam path onto the recording medium , successively modulating a wave with a succession of images to produce a succession of signal beams along a signal beam path lying at a propagation angle relative to the reference beam path so that the signal and reference beams intersect at a beam intersection lying within the medium , the beam intersection having a size corresponding to beam areas of the reference and signal beams , producing a succession of relative displacements in a direction parallel to the first axis between the recording medium and the beam intersection of the signal and reference beam paths in synchronism with the succession of signal beams , each of the displacements being less than the size of the intersection whereby to record successive holograms partially overlapped along a direction of the displacements .