Our Smallest Towns (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this celebration of the small, photographer Kitchen takes us on a tour of the tiniest incorporated towns in each of the 50 states. At every stop, he and the town fathers round up as many citizens as possible (in many cases it is not difficult to assemble the entire town) for a handsome panoramic group portrait. Brief bits of background and local color or quotes from residents on life in any particular community accompany the photos. Towns covered run from the merely small (Block Island, Rhode Island, population 820) to the truly aberrant (Hoot Owl, Oklahoma, population 0). This is far from an essential purchase for most libraries, but those having large collections of Americana will want to add it.?Jim Burns, Ottumwa, Ia.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; Reprint edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811809021
• ISBN-13: 978-0811809023
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,295,887 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where's that population explosion we hear about!, April 25, 2000

By	Keith Nichols (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here's a simple idea that worked great! Dennis Kitchen thought it would be fun to visit each of the 50 states and take a picture of the entire population of the smallest community in each. And that's basically what this book is - 50 panoramic photos of groups of beaming citizens posing in the midst of their tiny towns. Part of the genius of the thing is that the wide-angle lens shows not only the people, but also captures the buildings, streets, trees, mountains, and local dogs - i.e., what makes each community unique. The other part is that all but one of the communities fell right in with the author's idea (in that instance he shot the town but not the people). The text accompanying the photos recounts the ingenious ways some of the mayors devised to encourage their townsfolk to all be at the same place at the same time (not always 100-percent successful, but always close). Also recounted are various citizens' wry observations about life in a very small town. And when you ponder the photos, you realize that the folks looking out at you know a lot more about each other than a bookful of photos could reveal. But that's how it gets in small towns. All in all, this book leaves me feeling that just about anyone would be welcome in these 50 spots, even without a camera.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUR SMALLEST TOWNS, February 7, 2001

By	MARK LINEBERRY (NYC) - See all my reviews

I'M A MUSIC PRODUCER AND I LIVE IN THE CITY - NEW YORK CITY. LIKE MANY, I CONSUME IT, AND IT CONSUMES ME. DENNIS KITCHEN'S BOOK 'OUR SMALLEST TOWNS' IS LITERALLY A WAY OUT. IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THE TRIP WITHOUT HAVING TO MOVE YOUR BODY, GET DENNIS'S BOOK. FOR SOME IT WILL BE AN ADVENTURE, FOR OTHERS, A MEDITATION. ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT, 'OUR SMALLEST TOWNS' IS A COMPREHENSIVE AND COMPELLING STUDY OF AMERICANA. IT IS A PICTURE STORY, IF YOU WILL, TOLD WITH GRACE AND STYLE AND ART, THAT WILL TAKE YOU AWAY.