Black Rock [Hardcover]

Paul F. Starrs (Author), Peter Goin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2005

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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

114 color plates, 8 duotones, 21 maps, 5 figures

About the Author

Peter Goin is Foundation Professor of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno. His photographs have been exhibited in more than fifty museums nationally and internationally, and he is the author, co-author, or editor of several books, including A Doubtful River (University of Nevada Press).

Paul F. Starrs is Professor of Geography at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is the author of Let the Cowboy Ride: Cattle Ranching in the American West and of many scholarly articles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874175917
• ISBN-13: 978-0874175912
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,181,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning look at the Black Rock, December 26, 2005

By 

GSRider (Reno, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Rock (Hardcover)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Rock is pure joy to browse, and especially recommended for public library collections, September 12, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Rock (Paperback)

114 color plates, 8 duotones, 21 maps, and 5 figures lavishly illustrate Black Rock, a written and visual tour to the captivating beauty of the Black Rock country of northern Nevada. Though much of this land is desert, it nonetheless brims with life. A few of the images are of the people who live and work there going about their daily routine, but many more are striking landscapes, or glimpses into a hidden yet thriving natural ecology. The text offers a detailed and absorbing history of the mysterious desert landscape. Black Rock is pure joy to browse, and especially recommended for public library collections.

5 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Pretentious "Coffee Table" Book, December 31, 2005

By 

John A. Lefcourte (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Rock (Hardcover)

I love the desert, in general, and the Black Rock desert, from the many times that I have visited there. 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, poetical 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.