| Black Rock | 
 enlarge | Authors: Paul F. Starrs, Peter Goin
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
Category: Book
List Price: $50.00
Buy New: $31.87
You Save: $18.13 (36%)
New (12) Used (7) from $8.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 222117
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 296
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 9.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0874175917
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.9354
EAN: 9780874175912
ASIN: 0874175917
Publication Date: September 6, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
A photographer and a geographer explore where the pavement ends. Nevada's enigmatic Black Rock country, despite its apparent silence and isolation, is actually an area where natural forces are ceaselessly restless and life in many forms has endured for millennia. Its haunting landscape has been the focus of study and contemplation by scientists, explorers, outdoors aficionados, and artists. In "Black Rock," photographer Peter Goin and geographer Paul F. Starrs explore this fascinating place from the viewpoints of their respective disciplines. The Black Rock, a desert realm almost the size of Delaware but scarcely a hundred miles north of Reno, embraces mile-high vertical mountains and one of the earth's flattest, most barren salt pans, boiling hot springs and freezing winter cold, plants that have evolved to survive the severest drought and lush pockets of rich grasses. Its bewildering environments startle our senses with a raw physical intensity that comes through in Goin's eloquent photographs and Starrs's richly informed text. We observe the region from numerous perspectives - the Black Rock at ground level, from the skies above, in the geology below; witness the shaping roles of water, wind, and geothermal action in shaping it; and view the effects of human hands, from ancient Native Americans to nineteenth-century explorers, ranchers, and miners, up through the congregants at today's Burning Man festivals. The result is a brilliant duet of visual and literary commentary on a region of stunning paradoxes and constant change and activity, where need and curiosity encounter the daunting, implacable forces of nature.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Pretentious "Coffee Table" Book January 1, 2006
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
I love the desert, in general, and the Black Rock desert, from the few times that I have visited there, and I plan to explore it more. I visited the show of these photograhs at Reno's Art Museum so bought the book without really reading it first as I thought that it would be a good introduction and guide to the area. Big mistake.
It is a classic "Coffee table" book, that is, if you leave it on your coffee table and some one picks it up and looks at it for no more than five minutes it is impressive. However, don't try reading it. The text is pretentious, trying to be mystical, poetic and profound but only achieving verbosity. The text is merely an excuse to pad and space out the photographs which are NICE, but not great. Any amateur photographer with a good eye could do as well. Nothing is really spectacular which is strange given the number of years that the author has visited the desert.
There is some actual interesting information but the text could be condensed to four pages for a very nice pamphlet on the area.
It is the kind of book that a small university press publishes to show how hip it is to its locale.
 Stunning look at the Black Rock December 26, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I received this book two days ago as a gift. I am absolutely enthralled by the images and just getting started on the text. I'm having a difficult time pulling myself away from the beautiful pictures of the haunting Black Rock. as a resident of northern Nevada and a frequent visitor to the Black Rock Desert I can attest to this book's ability to capture the feeling of one of the world's most unique landscapes. A must for the Black Rock lover and suggested for anyone interested in the Black Rock but unable to get there in person. This book certainly shows the unique beauty of the Black Rock and makes a strong case for the preservation of the fragile environment of the playa.
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