Lost America: The Abandoned Roadside West

A stunningly photographed examination of the roadside icons that dot America's landscape. Lost America celebrates the boom-to-bust towns, aircraft bone yards, and filling stations of days past that were sacrificed at the altars of speed and technology and relegated to windswept desert plains and abandoned fields. The eye-catching and memorable photography is complemented with a succinct text history that details the rise and fall of each subject. The result is an impressive tour of an America still standing, yet largely forgotten.

Customer Reviews:

The Real "Land That Time Forgot".......2007-02-02

Now in its second print-run, Troy Paiva's LOST AMERICA is the equivalent of a medieval "Ubi sunt?" poem, with abandoned drive-ins and car shells standing in for the Roman temples and aqueducts. His striking, beautifully lit night-shots are more than nostalgia or kitschy tributes; they're documents of an American culture that sheds identities and icons with unsettling ease. As others have noted, Paiva's as good a writer as he is a photo-artist, and so the accompanying essays are just as evocative as the images. The only things LOST AMERICA lacks are a sturdier hardcover edition and a follow-up.

More Then Just Junk.......2006-11-18

When I first came across this book it intrigued me because, I was so in tuned to the wasteful nature of our culture. The incredible thing is when I show most people the book at first they say "So you wasted $15 on photo's of junk?", but a few hours or few days later their asking to see the book again. This time they remark on the genius of it all, the beauty of the photo's, and the magical way the objects come to life. I would also tell them to read what Troy Paiva has written in the book itself. In a way his words open up the true nature of the photos, not just revealing pictures of forgotten and rusted objects, but of memories that we may have of those objects in their heyday. Like the way he mentions an old rusted Cadillac once having been someone's dream car, or the way a nearly scarped Boeing 707, was once the height of technology and the jet set. The book can also get creepy in parts especially the part you'll read about a forgotten fire station near Edwards AFB. But overall it's more then just junk, it's a tribute to the very nature of our being in the United States, and ghosts that haunt us in the form of memories

Excellent book!.......2006-05-19

Amazing pictures and very well written stories.
Definitely a book worth having if you like photography.

DON'T GET LOST, AMERICA!.......2006-01-23

I received Troy Paiva's, LOST AMERICA this past Christmas from the Mother of a girl I went with from 1989 to 1994, and I'd like to think that this says something positive about both, her Mother, and myself. The book is filled with dramatic and intriguing photographs executed by a true artist. It seems that Paiva petitioned Stan Ridgway (a Rock star) to write the Forward to LOST AMERICA, but ironically - based on what I found in the book - Ridgway isn't half the writer that Troy Paiva is. (That's right - Paiva is as good a writer as he is a photographer! This guy has really been blessed with talent!) Even so, Ridgway nails it when he says, "Some people can be obsessive. Artists usually are, and the great ones are excessively so. They are driven by an inner vision."

And the attempt to manifest this inner vision for the benefit of others can often come at a price for the artist. Paiva is a junky joint junkie : his vision is to take long exposure photographs at night of abandoned things and places. He attempts to capture the Lost and Lonely Heart of the Past (usually with a mixture of hot and cool colored lights illuminating certain areas of his subject matter). It is important to remember when viewing these poetic and mysterious photos, that Paiva often had to pay a price for them beyond the cost of film, developing and printing : in the course of tramping through junkyards and forlorn places at night, he has been swarmed by bats, attacked by owls, and chased back to his truck by packs of wild dogs. He's had heart-stopping encounters with angry rattlesnakes, and witnessed mysterious tarantula and cricket migrations. Once, a praying mantis as big as his hand followed him around an old junkyard like a pet, for most of an evening. More than once, his hand has swollen up like a balloon from painful spider bites. So, unless the idea of being stalked by a monstrous praying mantis all evening is your idea of a fun Friday night, you shouldn't take these very cool photos for granted.

As I said, Troy Paiva's writing impressed me as much as his photographs did, and on page 14 he writes, "The songs of old broken things are everywhere." The moment I read that, the perfect song sprang into my mind. Composed by another artist with the poetic heart of a juice joint junkie (Tom Waits) is the song, 'BROKEN BICYCLES' from the movie soundtrack for 'One From The Heart' : "Broken bicycles, old busted chains / With rusted handle bars, out in the rain / Somebody must have an orphanage for / All these things that nobody wants any more." Well, there IS an orphanage for these abandoned things - it's called, "Troy Paiva's Camera." Let Tom sing the song while you explore Paiva's photos, and you will have discovered a match made in the junkyard of your dreams!

Now, I will confess that there are a few times when I feel Paiva's lighting is detrimental to the image. Occasionally the colored lights infuse the scene with an artificiality that spoils it. Nowhere is this more evident than in 'Daggett Beams, 2000' in which an otherwise truly stunning photo is spoiled by a harsh yellow spotlight in the background. I sometimes preferred his photos with less intrusive, minimal lighting, such as the moody blue, 'Road Closed, 2001' which features two battered, old pickup trucks parked like sentinels under an unhappy Winter sky.

But most of his photos do feature spotlighted areas of red, green, blue or yellow - this is Paiva's style - and the vast majority of the time, it works; it adds a sense of supernatural foreboding, or Little Boy Lost to his "Broken Bicycle" scenes. Some of the real standouts for me are 'Ludlow Cafe, 1990'; 'Concourse, 2001'; 'Salton Sea Beach Trailer, 1992' (so creepy that I could probably write an entire horror story around that one image); 'Cabover And Tires, 1992' (maybe my favorite photo in the book. Who or WHAT might live in that abandoned camper? I think I'd rather not know!); and then there's 'The King, 2002', that looks like some nightmarish image from a bizarre, childlike somnambulistic landscape - Alice in Vegasland! Quickly click those heels and scream, "There's no place like home!" Many of Paiva's photos would make great imagination-starters for would-be writers.

'CL, 2001' shows us the dilapidated snack bar of the abandoned Burlingame Drive-in theatre. In the foreground is an old sign, the only remaining letters on it being "CL." The caption states, "So far past being closed, it's only CL now." I told you this guy could write! Chapter Four, titled, "Salvage", contains several shots of old and weathered Las Vegas casino signs taken in the Vegas Neon Museum's "boneyard." It's interesting to note that the scene in the movie, 'One From The Heart' in which the plaintive Tom Waits song, 'Broken Bicycles' plays, occurs in a Las Vegas junkyard littered with old, dismantled casino signs, and a mournful train whistling in the background. I never imagined that such a place really existed...until I got LOST AMERICA. The book is sure to appeal to every melancholy weirdo like me, and I would recommend you buy it, except for one thing: it was printed in China...

Yes, this is the same China that embraces Communism - a failed economic/social system responsible for murdering approximately 100 million human beings worldwide, and torturing and starving many millions more. The same China that enforces its one-child family policy with forced abortions. The same China that got caught smuggling AK-47s into the U.S. to be sold to Los Angeles street gangs; threatened to nuke L.A. if the U.S. militarily defends Taiwan; kills its citizens who have the audacity to publicly request freedom; sells body parts of executed prisoners to medical facilities; enslaves political opponents & Christians for their faith, and puts them to work in forced labor camps, producing all imaginable types of goods, and printing books, all to be sold to Americans.

Everytime we purchase a Chinese-made product, we are feeding the human rights-abusing monster that has made no secret of its hatred for us - a monster that is increasing its military might at an astonishing rate and will someday overrun its neighbor, Taiwan, and declare war on the United States. Let's have a little foresight for once. Let's stop building our enemies. Let's boycott ALL Chinese products and sleep better at night. LOST AMERICA is a nice book, but until it is being produced in a country that values human life, it's a book that we can LIVE WITHOUT! (Of course, if you're buying a used copy, this is not an issue.) The good news, however, is that many of Troy Paiva's photos can be viewed at his lostamerica w-page. It may not be this book, but it's still worth a look.

just ok.......2005-09-10

I was disappointed in the photos and the lack of more detailed text.

Average customer rating:

A TRULY BEAUITFUL BOOK.
great godfrey - ghosts are beautiful after all.
Review - Ghost Towns of the Ameica West
Ghost Towns of the American West

Ghost Towns of the American West
Mario Kaiser , Michael Koetzle , and Wim Wenders
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0810945088

Book Description

Droves of treasure hunters raided the deserts and crags of the American West during 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 from the map, 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 winds, and swinging saloon doors; others no more than a few ruins in a secluded area accessible only by four-wheel drive--to experience firsthand the lure of history frozen in time.

Commissioned by Smithsonian Magazine, award-winning photographer Berthold Steinhilber sought out these phantom towns throughout the West. He probed into the mysteries of deserted places like Bodie, California; Gold Point, Nevada; and Steins, New Mexico, in order to reveal the region's boom-and-bust legacy. Shooting at dusk, using long exposures and a powerful headlamp, he created an eerie ambiance in his photographs of 19 of the most intriguing ghost towns, capturing their lost secrets for all to see.

Customer Reviews:

A TRULY BEAUITFUL BOOK........2006-06-22

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........2006-03-10

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.......2004-08-07

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

Ghost Towns of the American West.......2003-12-17

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.)

Average customer rating:

Hilarious Outdoor Adventure
Entertaining and informative read.

Whoa You Donkey . . . Whoa!
Laura Leveque , and Jackass Jill
Manufacturer: Jackass Junction Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cats, Dogs & Animals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Prospecting & Mining | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Adventurers & Explorers | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Product Description

Tales of mining camps and donkey trails. Jackass Jill explores remote ghost towns and mining camps with her donkey companions. These travel and adventure stories previously published in Gold Prospector and Brayer magazines.

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious Outdoor Adventure.......2007-03-08

A series of short stories linked chronologically about a modern day lady prospector and her donkeys, mining and treasure hunting from Alaska to the Mexico border. Misadventures with characters like Soapy the mine dog, Klondike Mike, Texas Jack, and Sandilee the biologist. Great reading material for bathroom or outhouse.

Entertaining and informative read........2007-03-08

A delightful read introducing elements of geology, mining, animal husbandry and especially high adventure and humor in the hard scrabble life of a female prospector.

Boom Towns & Relic Hunters of Northeastern Washington

Average customer rating:

The encyclopedia of Washington ghost towns. Their history and how to find them.
Nostalgia in Okanogan County
The Mysterious China Wall
In Search For Hidden Treasure
Forgotten Ghost Towns & Mining Camps

Boom Towns & Relic Hunters of Northeastern Washington
Jerry L. Smith
Manufacturer: Elfin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0944958281

Book Description

Interested in reading about old ghost towns, lost million-dollar mining camps, and historical sites in Northeastern Washington State? Learn more about these histories and mysteries in this rare and classic book, Boom Towns & Relic Hunters of Northeastern Washington. Your complete guide to ghost towns and historical places in Northeastern Washington by noted local author, historian, and treasure hunter, Jerry Smith. This category bestseller is a comprehensive and detailed history of ghost towns and picturesque sites in six historic counties, Okanogan, Chelan, Ferry, Kittitas, Pend Oreille, and Stevens, with over 100-detailed ghost town locations.

Jerry Smith takes you back in time to the Boom Town days of yesteryear and brings back the other life in the ageless Old West mining-era of the days of Boom Towns, miners, prospectors, pioneers and million-dollar mines. Here's a rich bonanza of history for you to prospect without the hardships and tragedies of early day pioneers. Fill your cache with hours of high-grade pleasure and fascinating relics from this treasure trove.

Don't miss out! This first print limited edition is filled with over 156 pages of exciting information, several rare historic maps, ninety-eight outstanding photos and exact locations of long lost famous ghost towns and mines in Northeastern Washington State. "This is a must for any history buff's collection.” In addition, my book makes a great self-guided ghost town tour book to carry in your automobile loaded with information, photos, and directions. I believe my book may be the most comprehensive and useful guidebook on the history of ghost towns in Northeastern Washington State ever produced.

But that's not all! A bonus you will enjoy reading, Information on Metal Detecting and Relic Hunting.” This chapter has several pages on how to search out and locate those long lost valuable treasures from the past with just a little knowledge about research and the use of a metal detector.

So if you're not looking to strike it rich but would like to visit those colorful Old West days and relive some of Washington's history, excitement is just waiting for you in our new book, Boom Towns & Relic Hunters of Northeastern Washington.

Many of the ghost town locations listed in this book may be on private property in present day. Please consider using one of our reputable experienced adventure guides or visit Boom Towns & Relic Hunters of Northeastern Washington State to explore these sensitive and historical sites.

Happy Trails! Jerry Smith

Customer Reviews:

The encyclopedia of Washington ghost towns. Their history and how to find them........2007-04-06

For anyone who loves the history and romance of the Wild West, this is an outstanding book that will help you understand more about the where and when of boomtowns in the old and the new west. It was mining that drove development in the western United States, not the cowboy. The products of Northeastern Washington mines were what held together this pioneer country and it helped to sustain development of the west and the United States.
Get lost with this book on a road trip through the dusty corners of Washington State! You will love it.

Nostalgia in Okanogan County.......2006-02-26

Upon purchasing your fantastic book and reading many of the wonderful stories on the history of Washington State, we decided to do an article in our Nostalgia Magazine. Thank you for sharing your stories and photos, folks like you keep Nostalgia Magazine a favorite read.

The Mysterious China Wall.......2005-08-18

In August 2005 I visited the mysterious "China Wall" in Okanogan County. If it had not been for Jerry's book, which included detailed directions on how to locate the China Wall, I would not have found this historic structure. Once I had arrived at these massive granite walls Jerry's book explained in detail the history of this mysterious wall from yesteryear.

In Search For Hidden Treasure.......2005-07-20

I purchased a copy of Jerry's book. It was taken along with me as my personal history reference guide as I searched for his Boom Towns & Relic Hunters "Geo Relic Treasure Caches". His book explained the detailed history of the area I was visiting while conducting my historic treasure hunt.

Forgotten Ghost Towns & Mining Camps.......2004-07-13

Join famed ghost town explorer Jerry Smith as he hits the dusty trail in search of long-lost forgotten ghost towns and mining camps with his team of experts, and a Boom Towns & Relic Hunters crew on a quest to locate, photograph, document, and solve the mysteries of yesteryear's million-dollar mines and forgotten boom towns. See the oldest ghost towns & mining camps ever discovered in Northeastern Washington State. Relive the excitement of historic ghost towns & mines discovered by Jerry's team of experts , and probe the secrets of these unprecedented archaeological "time capsules" and the clues they offer to an extraordinary, pioneer days that dates back to over one-hundred years past.
Kjell Lester
White Buck Trading Company

Average customer rating:

More Ghost Towns of Texas
T. Lindsay Baker
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 080613724X

Book Description

For Americans, there is something romantic yet harshly concrete about an abandoned town. Dreams, conflicts, and losses still haunt what remains, so it's no wonder we call these locales "ghost towns." A companion volume to his "Ghost Towns of Texas, More Ghost Towns of Texas" by T. Lindsay Baker provides readers with comprehensive descriptions, histories, maps, and detailed directions to the most interesting ghost towns in Texas not already covered in the first volume.

The ninety-four towns described in this book range from American Indian sites abandoned prior to the arrival of Europeans into North America to towns abandoned within the past decade. Baker's own recent photographs of these abandoned towns are complemented by historic photographs of more prosperous times. Many of these locations have never before appeared in any ghost town guide.

Customer Reviews:

An OK quick reference for cheap price, but missing some sites.......2007-02-19

This is an OK buy for a cheap price, but many sites are absent from this book. Where are Ruby, Vulture, Sasco, and few others. Also, some included have no remants at all left or on private property and not accessible. Examples are Christmas, Sonora, and many others. For the $6 or so that it costs, I don't know I would buy it again. I would use that money toward the purchase of Phillip Varney's Arizona Ghost Towns. At least that is my suggestion if you plan on doing some good exploring. If ghost towns are just a causual thing you may check out if you happen to get some time in the distant future, it may be an ok purchase.

Average customer rating:

Montana Mining Ghost Towns
Barbara Fifer , Larry Roland , and Vivian Roland
Manufacturer: Farcountry Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 1560371951

Book Description

The Rolands, from Missoula, have spent two decades locating and photographing ghost towns that arose during Montana's gold and silver rushes of the 19th century.

Here, 250 of their color images are collected, along with intriguing historical photographs of the towns' heydays.

Fifer's text tells about life in the towns, prospectors, outlaws, vigilantes, town characters, corporate shenanigans, and more. Colorful newspaper excerpts let the camps speak for themselves. Index.

Average customer rating:

Bodie, CA is a must see after reading this book

A welcome addition to Western American History Studies

Big Bad Bodie: High Sierra Ghost Town
James Watson , and Doug Brodie
Manufacturer: Robert D. Reed Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Old West | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Bodie's Gold: Tall Tales And True History from a California Mining Town

Bodie: "The Mines Are Looking Well...": The History of the Bodie Mining District, Mono County, California

Mines of the Eastern Sierra (Traveler Guidebooks)

$Boom Town Directory and Ghost Town Guide to Nevada\'s Aurora$ Boom Town Directory and Ghost Town Guide to Nevada\'s Aurora

ASIN: 1931741107

Book Description

Answers questions about California's most famous ghost town.

"This is the best book out today on Bodie." Park Rangers, Bodie State Park.

Big Bad Bodie is an intriguing historical tale about life as it was lived in old Bodie, the hardships, the bad times, the good times, and the people that made Bodie what it was.

Bodie, California is the most well preserved ghost town in the West. It is also a State Historic Park located at an altitude of 8,369 feet (a mile-and-a-half up), five miles from the California-Nevada border. The town reached a population of 10,000 in its heyday, from 1877 through 1882, and gold and silver production topped 100 million dollars, based on today's prices. Bodie consists of 175 buildings kept in a "state of arrested decay" by the State, meaning they will never be restored, but are prevented from further deterioration through a system of constant repair.

As is the case with many "ghost towns" of the West, questions, mysterious circumstances, puzzling episodes, previously unexplained events and enigmas surround Bodie. In their fascinating new book, Big Bad Bodie, authors Watson and Brodie have endeavored to solve these "puzzles" and provide answers to questions, such as:

Who is really buried in Bill Bodey's grave, and why? Why is the name of the town spelled "BODIE," when the town's namesake spelled his name "BODEY"? Why will there never be gold mining in Bodie again? Who started the 1932 fire that burned down much of the town? Big Bad Bodie also answers questions regarding the term "601," referring to the famous Gold Rush "601 Vigilante Committee." The authors spent many hours researching the Committee and uncovered some incredible historical facts, in print here for the first time. The "601 Vigilante Committee" was widespread in the western Gold Rush towns, and was in the business of handling out "quick justice."

Big Bad Bodie: High Sierra Ghost Town is the first new book about Bodie to come along in more than two decades and includes 60 photos, many from the lens of Watson's camera, plus numerous illustrations. Brodie and Watson have written a rich and fascinating history of a notorious California ghost town, sure to be of interest to any reader.

Customer Reviews:

Bodie, CA is a must see after reading this book.......2007-02-02

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (1/07)

"In 1879 through 1881Bodie, California was one of the richest mining towns in the West." Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the town is now a historic state park. Both gold and silver were excavated from the town's mines. "Bodie is the best-preserved ghost town in the West.

James Watson and Doug Brodie combine history, legend and never before shared stories with their readers to bring to life the image of Bodie, once a thriving town now a ghost town.

The author's discuss how to obtain an education in an obscure isolated town called Bodie. "The Bodie Public School opened its doors the second Tuesday of March, 1878." There were 10 eager students. Within two weeks there were 40 students. The teacher was paid $100.00 per month.

The town is located 15 miles from Mono Lake. The lake has been referred to as "the Dead Sea of the West." The lake was used for transporting materials "to build the railroad and to haul wood products and lumber."

In 1911 a blizzard hit the area resulting in three avalanches, leaving nine dead. "The tremendous weight of snow on the mountainside gave way and with a roar bore down on the unsuspecting occupants of the dwellings....Within seconds the powerhouse and cottages were ripped off their foundations and flattened."

"Big Bad Bodie: High Sierra Ghost Town," by James Watson and Doug Brodie, is fascinating. The combination of facts and myth helps to teak the reader's interest. The photographs add much to the story, bringing the town to the reader. I found myself pondering the photographs. My husband and I are born tourist, we definitely want to see Bodie. I highly recommend this book to those interested in history, travel, ghost stories and nonfiction.

A welcome addition to Western American History Studies.......2003-09-14

The collaborative effort of James Watson and Doug Brodie, Big Bad Bodie: High Sierra Ghost Town is the history of a Western ghost town of the 19th and 20th centuries, as compiled from newspapers, personal testimony, research in the Bodie area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and more. Black-and-white photographs complement the primary sources that compile an accurate and memorable picture of what life in Bodie was really like. Big Bad Bodie is a welcome addition to Western American History Studies collections and would well serve as a template for specialized "yesteryear" histories of other western communities as well.

Ghost Towns, Colorado Style: Northern Region

Average customer rating:

Wonderful journey back in history

Ghost Towns, Colorado Style: Northern Region
Kenneth Jessen
Manufacturer: Jv Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Tourist Destinations & Museums | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0961166282

Book Description

This forms part of a three volume set covering the ghost towns in Colorado. This volume includes over 150 town histories, 60 detailed maps and 220 contemporary and historic photographs. This three volume set is the most complete ghost town guide ever published on Colorado.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful journey back in history.......2001-03-01

This is going to be in the "Reference Section" at your local library years from now. This one goes into detail about the lost communities of Colorado boom and bust past. Read this one, and you will want the other volumes in this series. Don't put this on your wish list - get it - you won't regret it.

Average customer rating:

Ghost Towns of the American West
Bill Oneal
Manufacturer: Publications International Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0785312412

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