Desert America: Territory of Paradox

The desert is a huge paradox. Beneath its outward appearance of immensity and silence, are the sounds of various experiments, mysteries, and utopias. The setting of outrageous true histories, entertainment oases founded on consumerism and play, and the secret staging of military power, the desert is far from empty. Instead, it is full of activity: unexpected, uninhibited, and excessive. Not subject to barriers and seemingly free of the formal, ideological or cultural ties of global society, the desert cultivates alternate architectures, urbanisms, and built phenomena. Through photographs, essays, and history, this book emerges as an exploration of some of these phenomena and the protagonists that made them possible.

A stimulus for thought, prompting readers to ponder the very nature of the desert. --Urban Land -- Pits the perceived silence of the desert against the boisterous development that defines the visual character of the American Southwest. --I.D. Magazine -- This succinct volume reconsiders the American desert from California to Texas. --Metropolis Magazine

Looking at the intersection of nature and technology in America's driest, hottest, and most expansive states, this book explores the variety of strange ways people use this place of paradoxes. --John Hill, Archidose

The book manages to plot out quite nicely, the full spectrum of uses and facilities in the American desert. The large panoramic photos are generally of excellent quality. --Death by Architecture