New West

Description

"Stunning in its visual display of information, intuitive in its navigation, and generous in every single way, the design of New West rewards the reader page after page. The printing is absolutely incredible, using the art of vintage linen postcards to create a textured, color-saturated vision of the American West that is both old and new at once. The harmony between the vision for the design and the technical aspects of the production is a beautiful thing to behold." -- GOLD winner of the PubWest Book Design Awards The Mid-Century Linen Post Card, recognized for its color-saturated hues and textured finish, evolved as a rare hybrid of the mediums of photography, painting, and mass printing. New West, a comprehensive publication of this popular artform, explores the evolution of the American West through these vibrant and compelling images. The American West is renowned for its unique and spectacular natural scenery. While early images depicting vast expanses of unsettled land still persist, today, contemporary westerners are far more likely to live in cities than in the wild. New West celebrates the pre-existing geography of the landscape, as well as its high-speed transformation to suit man's need for growth, commerce, transportation, entertainment, arts, education, and public life. Examined through the lens of four waves of innovation; steam, steel, oil, and information, this book also asks the ultimate question of any exploration of history: what innovation is next?

Wolfgang Wagener is an international architect and strategy advisor for real estate development. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and a lifetime member of the Society of Architectural Historians, Southern California Chapter. Leslie Erganian is a Chicago-born, California-bred artist and writer. Her hand-colored photographs are housed in the permanent collection of the Xerox Corporation and the California Museum of Photography. She contributed her design talents to the production of film and television for clients including Warner Bros., DreamWorks, MGM, PBS and Showtime.

"This is a wonderful and wonder-filled book, an obvious labor of love. It mines the physical transformation of the West and it plumbs the depths of the West of our imagination with hope and clear eyes."--Ken Burns, filmmaker "Who knew that deltiology--the study and collection of postcards--is the third largest hobby after coin and stamp collecting? New West, the thoughtful view into the postcard collection of architect Wolfgang Wagener and journalist Leslie Erganian, then, should have broad appeal. Organized thematically and presented with a contemplative analysis of the rapid development of the region, it flows with haptic energy while edifying on multiple fronts. . . . Leafing through the pages of this colorful assemblage of natural and manmade wonders is great fun, yielding many intriguing views of landscapes and architectural feats. Sunsets, canyons, bridges, strip mines, factories, and city vistas fill this engaging tome."--Ken Burns, filmmaker "ARLIS/NA Reviews"