Route 22

"This is a haunting and insightful work that transcends the picturesque to approach the profound."―Robert Stone

Route 22 is a 350-mile highway that connects Manhattan and Montreal. One day while driving on it, Benjamin Swett was struck by the contrast between the landscape he could see through his car window and the more romantic one he remembered from his childhood. Without any particular plan, he set out to discover how the upstate New York of James Fenimore Cooper and Thomas Cole became this other place―a seemingly lost, untended region of Off-Track Betting Parlors and Tattoo Emporiums, abandoned diners, and ancient buildings crumbling into forgotten canals. The result of his exploration is this book―an insightful and deeply personal meditation on this complicated and beautiful landscape, accompanied by ninety evocative photographs. 90 duotone photographs

Benjamin Swett is a New York-based photographer specializing in nature and architecture, with a particular interest in combining photographs with text. His books include New York City of Trees (2013), The Hudson Valley: A Cultural Guide (2009), Route 22 (2007), and Great Trees of New York City: A Guide (2000), and he is a contributor to many other books and publications.