Foreword / by Adam Savage -- Introduction -- Part 1 Fandom and conventions. The origins of fandom ; Convention masquerades ; Reliving stories of the past ; Beyond Worldcon ; Trek invasion ; The summer of 1977 ; Legions of fans ; The rise of Comic-Con ; Costume play ; Mainstream acceptance ; Identity ; Protest cosplay ; Charity -- Part 2 Traditions. Street theatrics ; Bringing the past to life ; Living in the past ; Halloween -- Part 3 Production. Instruments of storytelling ; Do it yourself ; The art of cosplaying ; Selling stuff online ; Technologies ; Cycles of costuming ; From fan to pro -- Part 4 Legality/franchise support. Fan works ; Walking, talking copyright violation: intellectual property ; Influencing canon -- Part 5 Technology. Hollywood ; Owning a piece of history ; Internet forums ; Virtual communities ; Cosplay and COVID-19 ; The future ; Why we troop.