Phantoms of the Hudson Valley: The Glorious Estates of a Lost Era [Hardcover]

Monica Randall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Monica Randall's evocative, sepia-tinted photographs capture the architectural splendor of twenty-six palatial estates that loom as mysterious ruins along the Hudson River. These stately mansions recall the aristocratic luxury of a bygone era, with their turrets and spires, rambling porticos, gleaming columns, and glaring gargoyles. Through her masterful photography and darkroom work, Randall has created some of the restless phantoms she learned about while interviewing the current owners. Pairing the visual spectacle of these ruined mansions with tales of the ghosts that haunt them, Monica Randall celebrates the glamour and mystery of these glorious old estates in this lavish book.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A stunning architectural tour of 28 abandoned estates that loom as mysterious ruins along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. Many of the now-faded mansions were designed by Stanford White, the premier architect of New York's gilded age, and were owned by such illustrious families as the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Whitneys. The author's evocative, sepia-tinted photos capture the architectural splendor of these once luxurious homes, as well as the ravages of time, from the houses' crumbling turrets and spires, porticos, columns, gargoyles, and weed-choked courtyards and gazebos, to their interior vaulted ceilings, spacious ballrooms, and huge, empty libraries. Paired with ghost stories and legends about the estates, this book is a haunting reminder of a bygone era and lifestyle.

Review

“Captures the haunting atmosphere of great wealth’s trappings gone to seed . . . [Randall] provides entertaining lore along with her pictures.” (The New York Times Book Review)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879516178
• ISBN-13: 978-0879516178
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 11.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #688,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A massive disappointment, July 28, 2005

By 

MartinP "MartinP" (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Phantoms of the Hudson Valley: The Glorious Estates of a Lost Era (Hardcover)

If ever there was truth in the saying that a book shouldn't be judged by its cover, it's here. The book cover and the sales info might lead you to expect atmospheric photographic impressions of ruined estates on the banks of the Hudson. Well, that is definitely NOT what you are getting. Wyndcliff, seen on the cover picture, is one of only a very few true "phantoms" represented in this book - most of the houses documented are, on the contrary, in excellent repair and often even open to the public. The "phantom" part seems mainly to refer to the ghosts featuring in the accompanying texts (and, indeed, in several of the photographs - transparant ladies in elaborate ballgowns floating down stairways, that kind of thing). The texts as such are illuminating and have a certain charm, but clearly this book wants to be a photobook first and foremost, and in that respect it is massively disappointing. Just type "Wyndcliff" or "Bannerman's Castle" in your browser and the web will turn up many more pictures of these places than are seen in this book, many that are way more atmospheric than those on offer here, and all for free. Haunting impressions do not depend on sepia tones, unsharpness, and fish-eye lenses (Randall's love of the latter is truly worrying...), let alone Photoshopped apparitions. In fact, what this book basically gives you are unclear, artificially "spooked up" images, of houses that are seen to much better advantage in several other books - mostly ones that are far less expensive, too, than this exorbitantly overpriced publication.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious and Melancholy, October 2, 2000

By 

Sandra H. Whipple "sandyhorselover" (Santa Clara, California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Phantoms of the Hudson Valley: The Glorious Estates of a Lost Era (Hardcover)

Randall's book is a fantastic feast for the eyes with her sepia tone photographs and her well-written, can't-put-it-down narrative. Her clever way of blending the history of the houses with any supernatural happenings kept me turning the pages. In fact, I have read the book once and am re-reading it again with fresh eyes. With each chapter, however, I felt an extreme sadness at the thought of all those magnificent houses gradually disappearing. A must read for a quiet evening.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome book on a rarely treated topic, July 11, 2004

By 

Iconophoric - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantoms of the Hudson Valley: The Glorious Estates of a Lost Era (Hardcover)

This volume is dedicated to a subject that, to this day, continues to be underserved by photographers and writers. The reasons for that aren't close to clear. The compelling images and folklore are there. Anyway, I accept this book -a cynic might say charitably- in a spirit that factors in the scarcity of material on the topic.

I was not convinced by some of the staged-looking "ghost" photos. I didn't think the subject required any such reaching. Without this spook show punching-up, the books images of stately homes, long abandoned and encroached upon by the elements (one completely engulfed, with the waters of the Hudson right up to its foundation) is legitimately the stuff of dreams --or nightmares. But a gaffe or two doesn't come close to destroying the experience. If you want to like the book, I think you will have no trouble doing so.

If you have heard of these ruins, but never seen anything more than perhaps an extended magazine article on them, I feel sure you'll enjoy this book. In my opinion, the photography isn't nearly as bad as another reviewer suggests.