Ghost Towns of Colorado (Pictorial Discovery Guides) [Hardcover]

Philip Varney (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pictorial Discovery Guides | Publication Date: July 17, 1999

Pictorial Discovery Guides from Voyageur Press provide focused coverage of popular destinations, landmarks, and heritage sites. Pictorial Discovery Guides offer an appealing combination of expert yet down-to-earth text and memorable color photography.

Engaging, anecdotal, yet historical guidebook.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Varney, who has written books on ghost towns in Arizona and Southern California, presents a beautiful tribute to the colorful past and fantastic landscape of Colorado. Over 90 ghost townsAtowns that have decreased markedly in population and whose initial reason for settlement no longer existsAare introduced. The state is divided into 11 contiguous regions with an accompanying map, and regions and sites are arranged in a logical progression for driving ease. The maps not only show the location for each site but also distinguish among major, secondary, and minor sites. Exceptionally beautiful photographs, a brief history with anecdotes, what to see, and directions are given for each town. This is definitely an off-the-beaten-path travel guide; for information regarding accommodations or campgrounds, another guide to Colorado is required. Tourists and armchair travelers alike will enjoy.AJulia Stump, Voorheesville P.L., NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"No one brings ghost towns to life like Philip Varney." -- Tony Hillerman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (July 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089658416X
• ISBN-13: 978-0896584167
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,280,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the two best ghost-town books I've seen, July 29, 2001

By 

Peter D. Tillman (Taos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost Towns of Colorado (Pictorial Discovery Guides) (Paperback)

______________________________________________
[Paired review with Arizona Ghost Towns & Mining Camps, by Philip Varney]

Ghost town books are traditionally rather scruffy affairs, with dim photos, little organization and an amateurish look. Philip Varney has raised the bar with these two books. Both feature clean design, good directions to the sites, excellent photographs and well-written text. Varley writes "I wanted a practical, informative guide that would give me the details I needed next to me on the sea of my truck." Both books are squarely on his mark.

The Colorado book is nicer: all the present-day photographs are in color, and the extra 24 pages allow more photos and a bit more depth to the text. But the Arizona book is no slouch: it has the advantage of Arizona Highways' long experience in producing good, easy-to-use guidebooks (plus it's cheaper). I've been to most of the sites in both books; in almost every case I've learned something new from his books. The photos are excellent, the maps and directions are easy to follow, and Varney's writing style is personable and informative.

Either book will make a fine companion for your next Colorado or Arizona vacation, even if you don't ordinarily pay much attention to ghost towns. Those with an interest in Western history *need* both books. And they're both excellent for armchair travellers. We're already talking about a Colorado trip next summer --Kathleen's never seen the *real* South Park.

Varney really has no competition for either state. These are the two best ghost-town guidebooks I'v seen. He'salso written ghost-town guides for New Mexico (1987?) and Southern California (1990); both are in print, but I haven't read them.

Happy reading--
Pete Tillman
Consulting Geologist, Tucson & Santa Fe (USA)

Pete Tillman visited his first Colorado ghost towns some 40 years ago, and has since been to hundreds more throughout the West, both for work and for fun. Vulture (AZ) is his current favorite "true" ghost. But, hmm, Bodie (CA) is bigger and better-kept.... And Jerome (AZ) has the best views... And I've *still* never been to Crystal (CO). So much to see, so little time....

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Book, July 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghost Towns of Colorado (Pictorial Discovery Guides) (Paperback)

I've always been fascinated by Colorado and its ghosts towns. This book contains detailed guides to many of the more interesting ghosts towns around Colorado. It also tells a little bit about the history of the towns, which is certainly a bonus. My one complaint is that it was not quite as thorough as it could have been. There were some areas of Colorado with fascinating histories that were left out. But, all in all, this is a good book for anyone interested Colorado and its amazing history. If you like this book, I would also recommend a new gem of a book I found entitled Colorado: Yesterday & Today.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The photos in this book grabbed my attention!, July 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghost Towns of Colorado (Pictorial Discovery Guides) (Paperback)

This is an excellant resource for finding the Ghost Towns in Colorado. It gave detailed directions to locate them. The colored photographs were very interesting to look at and sparked our interest to track certain towns down. It was nice to have some history available from the book to know what went on in town and when its "hay day" was in our history. It is a very attractive book and could also be used as a coffee table book.