The New Industrial Parks Near Irvine, California [Hardcover]

Lewis Baltz (Photographer), Adam Weinberg (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

In the late 1960s and early 1970s Lewis Baltz became fascinated by the stark, repellent, man-made landscape that was rolling over California's then still-agrarian terrain. Baltz made a number of projects on this subject, the best known, The new Industrial Parks near Irvine, California was published as a limited edition book by Leo Castelli in 1974. With this book Baltz took his place near the centre of the New Topographic movement, a newly coined term emblematic of a cool, distanced, yet critical view of the emerging man-altered landscape. The Topographic position, detached and glacial, has influenced photographic practice in the United States, Germany and Japan for the past 25 years.

Out of print since 1980, The new Industrial Parks near Irvine, California is once again available in a facsimile edition of the original publication.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Ram Pubns & Dist; 2 Reprint edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963078569
• ISBN-13: 978-0963078568
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 11 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,532,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anonymous in Irvine., December 21, 2003

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Industrial Parks Near Irvine, California (Hardcover)

The fifty-one black and white photos in this nicely designed book will not be to everybody's taste. The photos could not be more stark and minimalist, mostly eye level, straight on, images of almost plain walls of commercial premises in Irvine, Los Angeles. The only concession is (photo twenty-two) a close-up of an open two-switch electrical box, I bet Baltz only took this because the box cover was off and the inside looked interesting.

Looking through the photos at the shapes and rigid right angles of the walls, doors, guttering and windows suggest abstract paintings and I can well understand that the appearance of the book encouraged the significant 1975 photo exhibition, 'New Topographics'. Some of the ten photographers (including Baltz) in that show have gone on to exhibit and publish books about the man-altered landscape. I think this particular photographic genre is now well established, thanks to Baltz. An excellent book: New Topographics, is a comprehensive look at this exhibition.


The book is as minimalist as the photos, apart from the simple captions there is no essay about Baltz (at least not in my German produced copy which does not have a photo on the cover) no page numbers, nothing on the inside flaps or back of the cover. I would have preferred this 2001 edition to have some reference to the influence these photos had over the last twenty-five years. An equally minimalist designed book I have enjoyed is Meadowlands by Ray Mortenson here the photos are of an industrial area in New Jersey. The photos are not as rigid as those by Baltz and frequently show how the natural landscape has been changed by heavy industry.

Both books present a vibrant photographic style and I like them because they show how visually fascinating the man-made environment can be.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.