Albuquerque: City at the End of the World

by Vincent Barrett Price, Kirk Gittings (Photographer)

This impassioned book, both a loving description and a critique, defines urban values in a milieu that is rarely recognized as a city. Updated more than ten years after its initial publication, it is more relevant than ever to Albuquerque's future. A new chapter describes Albuquerque's recent development, placing it in the context of urban growth in the West.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

231 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2003

Reviews

[Cynthia]

I was born and raised in 'Burque, but I have never really given a much thought to really delve more deeply into the history of the city. Mr. Price really takes care of presenting the information of this city that is not sure if it should retain it's history or try to move forward or somehow try to combine these two efforts. The book is very well written and it should be read by anyone who loves the Duke City.

[Madelynne]

Excellent writing about the history, geography and cultures of Albuquerque. V.B. Price (son of Hollywood actor Vincent Price) was a local newspaper columnist and really understands and loves the city at the end of the world.

[Jake Wellman]

This piece captures both the majesty and the frustration of the Duke City, and of New Mexico at large. By weaving together the city's diverse and storied influences, Barrett presents a magical high-desert enclave that is home to open-minded intellectuals, well-grounded naturalists, and community-focused families fighting to keep the American dream alive. While his picture of Albuquerque paints a fantastical wonderland, his analysis of growth and sustainability issues facing the city serve as a powerful call to service for anyone who feels the surge of pride at the descriptions of the Rio Grande bosque's cottonwood groves and the Pueblo-inspired neighborhoods throughout the valleys between the Sandia mountains and the volcanoes of the West Mesa. Albuquerque stands as its own work of art, perfectly representative of its urban namesake. Required reading for any Burqueño, especially those of us temporarily separated from home sweet home.

[Carl]

"Many people escape to Albuquerque and, at the same time, want to escape from it. They leave their old lives behind and seek refuge in Albuquerque's isolation. But the city itself soon gets to them and they either come to hate it or find themselves looking beyond the city, to the high desert wilderness, for their solace. Albuquerque is an acquired taste. And it's only the context of its natural and human landscape that makes it worth the effort." p. xii

[Maggie]

At my grad school interview I asked Claudia Issac, "What do I need to read about Albuquerque?" She told me there was only one choice, and I'm glad this was it.