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1st out of 77 books
—
14 voters
Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas
What makes a place? Infinite City, Rebecca Solnit’s brilliant reinvention of the traditional atlas, searches out the answer by examining the many layers of meaning in one place, the San Francisco Bay Area. Aided by artists, writers, cartographers, and twenty-two gorgeous color maps, each of which illuminates the city and its surroundings as experienced by different inhabit...more
Hardcover, 166 pages
Published
November 29th 2010
by University of California Press
(first published October 30th 2010)
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I finished this a long time ago, so long that it's comfortably on the bookshelf rather than on the "been there, done that" pile next to the bed. I've withheld commentary on it because I haven't been sure how to fairly rate it.
Truly, this is a book for trainspotters -- what I mean by this is that it speaks to a certain kind of person for whom maps are a hobby, or for whom San Francisco politics are a hobby. It presumes a certain California coastal, blue-tinged worldview. And for me, the target au...more
Truly, this is a book for trainspotters -- what I mean by this is that it speaks to a certain kind of person for whom maps are a hobby, or for whom San Francisco politics are a hobby. It presumes a certain California coastal, blue-tinged worldview. And for me, the target au...more
I had high expectations for this one. But, overall: brilliantly creative conceit; uneven, at times disappointing, writing. On the physical side of things, the beautiful maps constantly fell into the no-man's-land of the gutter (not good for an "atlas"); nice trim, paper, and design, though.
If you live in San Francisco and haven't seen this book, then you must certainly do your book shopping online. It has been everywhere for the past year – and rightly so. Combining maps and prose to show different perspectives on the Bay Area – it nicely maneuvers among the physical, historical, cultural, and contextual worlds. The atlas could easily be a museum exhibit.
The maps and stories juxtapose themes – such as shipyards and jazz/soul landmarks. While some of the combinations of stories an...more
The maps and stories juxtapose themes – such as shipyards and jazz/soul landmarks. While some of the combinations of stories an...more
idiosyncratic maps of the bay area by master writer and thinker solnit A Book of Migrations: Some Passages in Ireland Wanderlust: A History of Walking River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West here she maps and essays things like coffee shops, murders, greenspaces, fillmore neighborhood, mission district, queers, butterflys, the old waterfront, food and superfund sites (silicon valley has the most, oops) . the maps themselves are quirky and more artistic than a "normal...more
Infinite City is a bizarre and intriguing look at the many dimensions of San Francisco. The book is composed of 22 different maps of the city, each dealing with different phenomena specific to the city on the Bay. These range from Map 6: "Monarchs and Queens: Butterfly Habitats and Queer Public Spaces", to Map 16: "Death and Beauty: All of 2008's Ninety-nine Murders, Some of 2009's Monterey Cypresses." Solnit's writing is clean, thought-provoking, and complex. Several contributing writers add th...more
Oct 31, 2011
Haines Borough Public Library
added it
Recommends it for:
Lovers of Maps, San Francisco, & Cultural History
Shelves:
book-burrow-radio-show
View in catalog here: http://haines.evergreencatalog.com/op...
October 2011
Each one of us has maps inside of us. These maps make up our own personal atlas, and they include the daily routes we take, the many places (and people connected with those places) we've visited and loved, as well as the unique interests we seek out in the world in things like art museums, libraries, beaches, and mountains. In Infinite City, a wonderful reworking of the traditional atlas, Rebecca Solnit invites us to ponde...more
October 2011
Each one of us has maps inside of us. These maps make up our own personal atlas, and they include the daily routes we take, the many places (and people connected with those places) we've visited and loved, as well as the unique interests we seek out in the world in things like art museums, libraries, beaches, and mountains. In Infinite City, a wonderful reworking of the traditional atlas, Rebecca Solnit invites us to ponde...more
I just started this book and it is amazing. The maps alone merit five stars -- modern works of art that will melt your mind. Everyone who loves San Francisco, who loves the art of the book, will love this one.
Every few years I read a book that shows me a way forward. This is such a book. Even though the maps here are idiosyncratic and full of detail, they offer a way in for almost any reader. Each person will develop favorites: my current one is Number 16 Death and Beauty. A place - any place - is seen to be inexhaustible. Solnit's philosophy and motivation in writing this book is valuable and clearly stated. Some of the maps have better graphics than others. The format allows the book to be easily h...more
The more I read about San Francisco and the Bay Area, the more I'm pleased that the gods pushed me towards this part of the world as a place to settle. I love it here -- and just when I think I can love it no more, someone like Rebecca Solnit writes a book that pushes my adoration to a higher level.
More than a historical and societal look at the city, it's also a work of art. The photos, maps, drawings, and art in this book are all gorgeous -- so much so that I'm a bit peeved that I purchased t...more
More than a historical and societal look at the city, it's also a work of art. The photos, maps, drawings, and art in this book are all gorgeous -- so much so that I'm a bit peeved that I purchased t...more
"Infinite City: a San Francisco Atlas" by Rebecca Solnit, 2010. "Infinite City" is an exercise in cartographic art, juxtaposing seemingly unrelated data in vibrant, creative ways. Notorious queer bars of past and present are mapped along with endangered butterflies. There is a map of toxic waste sites contrasted with vineyards and food source locations. There are maps of women. There are maps of blacks. Solnit's writing is immensely entertaining. It is also pretentious, almost haughty, which con...more
A wonderful companion to Los Angeles in Maps; I met the authors of both books at this year's LA Times Festival of Books. This book, like the city it describes, is much more fanciful than the Los Angeles volume. These maps were all custom-created for this book, so there's a wonderful unity of design here. The maps are confrontational in what they choose to depict. In "The Right Wing of the Dove," S.F is shown to be a central hub of the machinery of death and war. In another map, 500 "Ellis Act" e...more
I'd give this beautiful-to-look-at and fascinating-to-read homage to and excavation of the city of San Francisco more stars if that were possible. As a resident of the City by the Bay (transplanted from Wisconsin post Summer of Love) for much of 8 years (with time off for world travels)and having lived 50 miles north of the city ever since, SF has been the metro hub of my adult life. The title of the book is well chosen, since there are even more maps of the city that can be imagined than have b...more
Solnit's book illustrates how there are an infinite number of ways of viewing any city's current state and its history (eg personal history of its inhabitants, economic forces, political movements, cultural delights and nadirs, ecosystems, etc etc). The book is a collection of original, full-color maps of San Francisco or the Bay Area highlighting such specifics, each map accompanied by a short essay (many by Solnit with a handful of other contributors). The maps are excellently done, and most o...more
I have 3 types of favorite writers. I read loads of others but I don't seek them out. These I do, checking their names on Powells Books online or eBay or dusty shelves regularly to see if I can find THAT book or just any more of theirs.
1. Their style of writing is pleasing to my eye, my ear and my thought process. They take an idea and patiently, clearly explain it and I learn. People say to me after I explain one of their ideas "how did you know that?" Or the little modern fiction that I can st...more
1. Their style of writing is pleasing to my eye, my ear and my thought process. They take an idea and patiently, clearly explain it and I learn. People say to me after I explain one of their ideas "how did you know that?" Or the little modern fiction that I can st...more
This is a delicious book. It’s an artistic and historical atlas, with essays by Solnit and other authors, all focused on San Francisco and the different layers of people, culture, and history that exist in this city. Each essay is paired with a map–some of which are carefully detailed, some more artistically interpreted. Since I’m pretty attached to San Francisco and I’m a sucker for imaginative maps, this was a lot of fun to flip through. The highlights for me included a map of coffeehouses (ne...more
Brilliant and often surprising juxtapositions. Often beautiful, luxurious maps, but equally as often cluttered and overwhelming. Though I appreciate Solnit's obvious intellect and the idea of the project, the perspectives depicted feel, ultimately, on the same liberal wavelength. It could have been interesting for more dissonance to appear in the book, more jarring perspectives. Still, this is art.
The maps are fantastic, and many of the anecdotes and stories are very good. It's probably best to read slowly, one or two at a time. Towards the middle of the book the race history pieces blended together a little too much as I read them in quick succession. I did really enjoy learning tidbits and historical places of interest around the bay area.
Dec 03, 2010
Jim Coughenour
is currently reading it
Pure joy. A plain-wrapped, artfully composed atlas of overlapping dreams. Reading through the first few pages in Peets on Market & Noe — "the cup of coffee in your hands has origins reaching across the region and the world" — I'm thinking, even in this dark new age of destitution and deplorable wealth, San Francisco keeps its magic. More or less.
I live in San Francisco and love it here. I study it, explore it, ride my bike through it, and dig around in it. This book is incredibly satisfying for someone like me. My favorite page is a map of the quiet but prosperous toxic chemical plants/manufacturers and their intermingling with and our thriving food industry.
A very special object that belongs on the (tall) shelf of every San Franciscan, or lover of that city. I am a tourist there, but Solnit & her co-contributors highlight the reasons that its one of my favourite cities, the place I got married - its myriad idiosyncrasies, living contradictions, its history and its beauty.
Win-win for SF lovers & map nerds (& win-win-win for SF lovers, map nerds, & lefties), this is a lovely piece of design that is entirely appropriate for its subjec...more
Win-win for SF lovers & map nerds (& win-win-win for SF lovers, map nerds, & lefties), this is a lovely piece of design that is entirely appropriate for its subjec...more
This seems like a great book. But not for me at this time in my life.
I'm not able to read much, and I got this to look at pretty maps. There's not that many maps, and there's walls and walls of text. It looks like interesting text, but my brain can't handle it right now.
This would be a great gift for someone who loves San Francisco: the history, the diversity, the micro-cultures, atlases, and of course maps.
I'm not able to read much, and I got this to look at pretty maps. There's not that many maps, and there's walls and walls of text. It looks like interesting text, but my brain can't handle it right now.
This would be a great gift for someone who loves San Francisco: the history, the diversity, the micro-cultures, atlases, and of course maps.
This is a book to savor. I withheld that fourth star because of the format--the maps beg to be placed side-by-side with the text that describes them, but instead they each take up a complete tall and skinny spread. That said, I do believe Solnit is a compelling writer.
Amazing book, juxtaposing seemingly unrelated sets of data onto single maps to great effect. The text is very thoughtful and well researched. I've lived in SF for 18 years and I still learned so much from this book... it made SF open like a rose for me.
at times could have been more lucid, but an exploratory type project concerning the potentials rather than the precision of cartography, comfortable with its own easy flow. also an interesting introduction to a fascinating world city.
The writing can be a bit pretentious and political, but the maps and subjects are pretty amazing. Unique, far-ranging, and original. More of a read-in-spurts book than a sit-down-and-read book.
May 26, 2011
Ben Gutierrez
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Livers and Lovers of San Francisco
Recommended to Ben by:
Alex Cortez, Steve Cortez, and Diana Tedone
A beautiful book that offers twenty-two different views of the same beautiful city. I'll treasure this book for years to come, no matter where I live. The artwork, typography, binding, paper, etc. are all of excellent quality, making it a true pleasure to read.
This was pretty odd, but that was the point. I really liked the layout of it, and the designs of the maps themselves. I didn't care so much for the essays, though.
Very enjoyable, quirky history of San Francisco with beautifully-illustrated maps throughout. A great gift for San Francisco natives, or people new to the city.
This was such a delightful read. The maps were gorgeous and well-themed, e.g. "Poison / Palate," a map of the toxic waste of the bay area with the culinary hot spots. I expected to like the maps, but having never read Solnit before I didn't expect the beauty of her prose. When reading her introduction, specifically her writing about maps, I was impressed by the transcendence of her writing and her understanding of what a map is and what a map can't be. I would have loved this book anyway, but wh...more
1 like · like · see review
A seriously impressive book of maps, I really could go on and on, but I also already reviewed it on my blog (http://jenangel.wordpress.com). For anyone that loves San Francisco, history, storytelling. Highly recommended, one of my favorite books to come out last year.
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Rebecca Solnit (b. 1961) is the author of numerous books, including Hope in the Dark, River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West, Wanderlust: A History of Walking, and As Eve Said to the Serpent: On Landscape, Gender, and Art, which was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism. In 2003, she received the prestigious Lannan Literary Award.
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Apr 25, 2011 09:52am