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Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man
 
 
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Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man [Hardcover]

Jessica Bruder (Author), Various (Illustrator)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is pretty much like the best Burning Man scrapbook, ever – you know, the one you always wanted to make, but you just couldn’t get your shit together enough to do it...But more than just the imagery, it’s the writing I especially love – Jess has a way with words that vividly captures the experience of what it’s like to be out here on the playa and spotlights some of the people and projects unique to Burning Man culture. Highly-recommended." --review

"Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man by Jessica Bruder breaks free of its print shackles: It's great fun, and great fodder for daydreaming." --The San Diego Union-Tribune (added by author)

“Now at last comes a book that manages to capture the magic and craziness of Burning Man in well-told words and dazzling color photography...Bruder, 29, is a veteran of five Burning Mans and brings a savvy eye to its eye-popping proceedings, its reason-defying rituals, its key players and characters, as well as its intense and uninhibited atmosphere.”  --review

"This is pretty much like the best Burning Man scrapbook, ever - you know, the one you always wanted to make, but you just couldn't get your shit together enough to do it...But more than just the imagery, it's the writing I especially love - Jess has a way with words that vividly captures the experience of what it's like to be out here on the playa and spotlights some of the people and projects unique to Burning Man culture. Highly-recommended." --Piss Clear (added by author)

"Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man by Jessica Bruder breaks free of its print shackles: It's great fun, and great fodder for daydreaming." --The San Diego Union-Tribune (added by author)

"Now at last comes a book that manages to capture the magic and craziness of Burning Man in well-told words and dazzling color photography...Bruder, 29, is a veteran of five Burning Mans and brings a savvy eye to its eye-popping proceedings, its reason-defying rituals, its key players and characters, as well as its intense and uninhibited atmosphere." --The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (added by author)

From the Inside Flap

It all began 1986 when a pair of friends burned an eight-foot-tall effigy on Baker Beach in San Francisco in front of an impromptu audience of twenty. Two decades later Burning Man has evolved into a dazzling annual extravaganza dedicated to radical self-reliance and self-expression, attracting nearly forty thousand people. These revelers -- an eclectic mix of punks, geeks, families, ravers, grad students, gearheads, hippies, and tourists -- turn the ancient lakebed of Nevada's Black Rock Desert into a bustling city that exists for one glorious week before disappearing in a cloud of ashes and dust.

Burning Book is both a loving commemoration of the event's storied history and an enlightening companion for festivalgoers. Bruder explores the unique ethos and breathtaking art installations that have shaped the event, along with Black Rock City's distinctive landmarks, pranks, lore, and gift-based economy. Illustrated with hundreds of stunning photographs, Burning Book is a striking tribute to an extraordinary cultural phenomenon for the legions who participate in Burning Man every year, and for those who haven't become part of this unforgettable celebration -- yet.(added by author)

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Gallery; First Edition edition (August 7, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416928243
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416928249
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars best Burning Man book yet!, August 5, 2007
This review is from: Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man (Hardcover)
I have spent all of today reading Burning Book. A seven-year veteran of Burning Man, I feel like I know a lot about the event, culture and art. HA!
I have learned a lot reading Burning Book, including more information about installations I've interacted with, and even about some I've worked on!
Our project from 2006 gets a page in the book and I am eternally grateful and honored to have placement in this fantastic book. Thank you to Jessica Bruder! This book is a wonderful gift to your community. Kudos to you! You inspire me.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars accurate descriptions, October 13, 2007
This review is from: Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man (Hardcover)
I went to several Burning Mans, since 1992, and once met Michael Michael, from San Francisco Cacophony, when he visited the Los Angeles chapter. So Bruder's account brought back much nostalgia. As she relates, the growth of Burning Man has also led to ever more intricate theme camps and art installations. Several depicted in the photos, I saw. Including the huge ball of ice, containing scores of clocks, that fell off as the ball melted. Or the archway of cattle bones. Along with sundry corporate parodies.

Her accounts of summer desert rainstorms is also quite accurate. Especially for 1995. When the ground turned to a thick mud, and walking was labourious. She shows a nice photo of a rainbox over the campsite. Those of us who were there in 95 remember the winds and rain quite well. Along with the sandstorms that caused visibility to fall to a meter or less.

Art cars are shown in several photos. Fantastically decorated. Surprisingly, Bruder doesn't seem to mention that the art car "movement" was centred around Portland Cacophony. She is from Portland and undoubtedly knows many in that chapter. Granted, art cars now come from all over, and perhaps Portland no longer dominates that scene.

In 1996, the book describes how there were 2 tragic events, that caused later Burning Mans to have tighter safety rules. One event was a motorcycle rider who died on the playa. Another was a vehicle colliding deliberately into a tent and hitting 3 sleeping people, crippling one of them. Unfortunately, there is little elaboration about the events. A reader new to Burning Man might be interested in more information.

One strength of the narrative is the extensive coverage of the first Burning Mans held on a San Francisco beach. Photos of those events are also nice. If you've never heard of Burning Man, you might not notice anything unusual about this. But other histories of Burning Man typically give cursory mention of the SF events, and usually have few or no photos.

The book also covers some other different ground from others on Burning Man. For example, it explains the assorted group of workers who spend several weeks there, doing prep and cleanup. A thankless task, for which they get very little money. Their experience is quite different from the few days that most revelers spend there. Bruder alludes to an esprit de corps amongst the cleanup crew. But that's scarcely universal. Some arrive and are simply overwhelmed by the stark conditions. And it is possible to be cynical about this espirit. Seeing it as a means of garnering cheap labour by the Burning Man organisation.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Burning Man book yet...., August 21, 2007
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This review is from: Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man (Hardcover)
There is nothing out there that captures the experience of Burning Man better
than this book. With its inventive graphics and many pictures, and a very well written account by the author, it seems this book was created for both veterans and the merely curious.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
theme camps, art cars
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Black Rock City, Black Rock Desert, San Francisco, Tuna Guys, Flaming Lotus Girls, Suicide Club, Baker Beach, Cacophony Society, Los Angeles, Death Guild, Larry Harvey, Center Camp, Michael Michael, Bureau of Land Management, Golden Gate Bridge, Gary Warne, Marisa Lenhardt, Tom Kennedy, Coos Bay, David Best, Burning Man
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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