Vanishing America: The End Of Main Street Diners, Drive-Ins, Donut Shops, And Other Everyday Monuments

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Think of the quirky buildings you pass every day but whose quiet beauty you take for granted—the moviehouses, juke joints, soda fountains, barbershops, roadside diners, and storefront churches. You don’t miss them until they’re gone. As suburban sprawl and strip malls conquer the country, these vestiges of a lost way of life are falling under the wrecking ball. Here the photographer Michael Eastman has made the ultimate road trip, crisscrossing the nation dozens of times, to capture these buildings on film before they vanish. These dreamy images call us to question what we choose to let go in the wake of contemporary life, with a cool melancholy that evokes the work of Edward Hopper, Jack Kerouac, and William Eggleston. There is a wry sense of humor here as well. The book delights in the idiosyncracies of America’s vernacular styles, ranging from Depression Deco to New England clapboard in random juxtapositions that accrue over time in a town’s landscape. Countless visual puns arise among the book’s many detailed images of signs and statuettes. Vanishing America catalogues great everyday American architecture and design. But it also offers a provocative portrait of the silent emptiness that has descended upon vanishing small communities everywhere.

Hardcover: 192 pages

Publisher: Rizzoli (April 29, 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0847830403

ISBN-13: 978-0847830404

Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 0.9 x 9.8 inches

Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds

Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #425,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #36 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography & Video > Architectural > Monuments #76 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography & Video > Architectural > Cities #596 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography & Video > Photojournalism & Essays > Photo Essays

No matter where you live, you probably pass buildings that have seen better days on your daily commute. If not buildings, then maybe signs, whether they are on billboards or sides of buildings. All of these items harken back to an earlier time; a time when the area was more vibrant. Now replaced by suburban shopping malls, a changing population, or economics, these store fronts and signs are falling into our distant memories. With Vanishing America: The End of Main Street, Michael Eastman captures these items before they are demolished.Contents:IntroductionTheatersChurchesHangoutsDoorsSignsStoresServicesAutomobilesHotelsRestaurantsAbout the AuthorThis book is filled with beautiful and sad photographs of pieces of America that disappear every day. While the population continues to move out from city centers, Eastman ventures into those spots to show you what you are missing or fail to see during your morning and afternoon rush hours. Each photo is worthy of your time, examining not only what is in front of you, but surrounding the focal point. While every chapter has its share of exceptional photographs, I thought that the chapter Doors was the best. There is something about these entranceways that speak to me. I don't know if it is the boarded up windows and locked doors, the storefronts covered with newspapers, or abandoned schools, they are haunting pictures. Other photos, full of energy and "life," are without any people. I don't know how Eastman was able to shoot those photos. An example is "Cabin Motels, Ketchum, Idaho." There is a vehicle in front of every room, but not a single person in the shot. I know that this Ketchum, Idaho, but still-where are the people?

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