With some similarity to Gibson's later appraisal of Singapore for Wired magazine in Disneyland with the Death Penalty, as much essay as fiction, it depicts the encounters of an American photographer with the period futuristic architecture of the American 1930s when he is assigned to document it for fictional London publishers Barris-Watford, and the gradual incursion of its cinematic future visions into his world. The "Gernsback" of the title alludes to Hugo Gernsback, the pioneer of early 20th century American pulp magazine science fiction.
This passage describes a story that blends reality and fiction, similar to Gibson's later work on Singapore for Wired magazine. It centers around an American photographer documenting the futuristic architecture of 1930s America for London publishers Barris-Watford. The narrative gradually merges with cinematic visions of the future as he experiences this world. The title "Gernsback" refers to Hugo Gernsback, a pioneer of early 20th century American pulp science fiction magazines.