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Desert America: Territory of Paradox
The desert is a huge paradox. Beneath its outward appearance of immensity and silence, are the sounds of various experiments, mysteries, and utopias. The setting of outrageous true histories, entertainment oases founded on consumerism and play, and the secret staging of military power, the desert is far from empty. Instead, it is full of unexpected, uninhibited, and excessive. Not subject to barriers and seemingly free of the formal, ideological or cultural ties of global society, the desert cultivates alternate architectures, urbanisms, and built phenomena. Through photographs, essays, and history, this book emerges as an exploration of some of these phenomena and the protagonists that made them possible.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2006
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 27, 2023
This is a fun book that tells about the nooks and crannies of the USA’s desert southwest. It’s largely a picture book with fairly short narratives.
Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Hoover Dam are covered, but most of the places are off the beaten (tourist) track: Salton Sea; White Sands National Park and the missile range and the Trinity Site; Monument Valley; Lake Havasu City; Sun City; Quartzsite; the Very Large Array; the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base boneyard; Mojave Airport; the Titan Missile Site; Kitts Peak; Black Rock Desert; the Nevada Test site; and the Biosphere. And there are those places I never heard of: Acrosanti, AZ; Playas, NM; Front Sight, NV.
A good book if you're planning a trip - the photos and the short essays that give history and context.
Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Hoover Dam are covered, but most of the places are off the beaten (tourist) track: Salton Sea; White Sands National Park and the missile range and the Trinity Site; Monument Valley; Lake Havasu City; Sun City; Quartzsite; the Very Large Array; the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base boneyard; Mojave Airport; the Titan Missile Site; Kitts Peak; Black Rock Desert; the Nevada Test site; and the Biosphere. And there are those places I never heard of: Acrosanti, AZ; Playas, NM; Front Sight, NV.
A good book if you're planning a trip - the photos and the short essays that give history and context.
August 1, 2020
One of my all-time favorite books. I recommend it if you are planning a visit to the US SW. Everything in here would be on my itinerary. Also recommended to anyone interested in modern US history.
March 26, 2012
more to the desert than meets the eye. well put together collection of images/quotes that will take you on a journey, with allusions to Exodus, through the American desert.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews