Ghost Towns of the American West

by Michael Koetzle, Mario Kaiser, Wim Wenders, et al.

Droves of treasure hunters raided the deserts and crags of the American West in the mid-19th century hoping to make a fortune in gold, silver and copper. Of the thousands of mining towns that sprang up, most have disappeared, but a scant few remain as spooky reminders of dreams that failed. Each year, visitors from around the world journey to these ghost towns - some resembling Hollywood movie sets, complete with tumbleweeds, howling breezes and swing...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810945088
• ISBN13: 9780810945081
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 10.0" x 11.3"
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A TRULY BEAUITFUL BOOK.

THE PICTURES IN THIS BOOK ARE WONDERFUL. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN GHOST TOWNS. I LOVE IT.

great godfrey - ghosts are beautiful after all.

Having been to many of the places described here with my camera, I can only say the photos are stunning....and anyone who doesnt think the western sky can be that blue needs to go to a few of these places in the spring or fall when the sky is clear. While Bodie is my favorite, a lot of others such as Silver City Idaho get less attention. It's also sad to note that many of the unprotected places are disappearing as more and more nincompoops on fourwheelers destroy and steal what little remains.

Review - Ghost Towns of the Ameica West

An Outstanding book Glad to have it in my collection. Great for trip planning

Ghost Towns of the American West

Bodie, a ghost town in the Sierras beyond Yosemite, is preserved by California park rangers in a state of arrested decay. It's a magical place, one of my favorites, but I have never seen it as this German photographer depicts it, bathed in the surreal light of car headlights. Here, you can feel the presence of the ghosts-in the schoolroom, the general store, and lodging house; most of all in the 1940s car with its gaping windshield, abandoned in the long grass. Wim Wenders, poet and filmmaker of lonely places, writes in the preface: "These buildings...suddenly have great dignity. They stand there gazing into the camera like very old people who have never before had their pictures taken, after a lifetime of work and sacrifices." (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)