Utopian Vistas: The Mabel Dodge Luhan House and the American Counterculture [Paperback]

Lois Palken Rudnick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

Mabel Dodge Luhan, hostess and visionary, made Taos, New Mexico, a center for artists and utopians when she moved there in 1917 and began inviting friends to visit her. Now available in paperback, Utopian Vistas is a chronicle of the house Luhan built in Taos and the poets, painters, photographers, film-makers, writers, educators, and visionaries whose lives and works were affected by the house and its environs. Lois Rudnick weaves a complex tapestry depicting American countercultures in New Mexico from the 1920s to the 1990s.

"Should be required reading for art historians,film historians, ex-Beats and hippies, their children and grandchildren, and anyone interested in the possibility of making an imperfect America perfect at last."--Karal Ann Marling

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Focusing on the people who occupied the house of Mabel Dodge Luhan in Taos, New Mexico, Rudnick follows up her biography of Luhan (Mable Dodge Luhan, Univ. of New Mexico, 1987) with a flawed study of Luhan's impact on America's 20th-century counterculture movement, particularly in and around Taos. Because she catalogs the offbeat writers, painters, and others who visited Luhan, recording their impressions of her instead of addressing Luhan herself, Rudnick fails to provide a clear understanding of her role in the movement. The strongest features of this work are the numerous halftones and illustrations, which portray life in Taos, and the discussion of actor and director Dennis Hopper, who occupied the house in the 1960s. Hopper's role in America's counterculture is clearly delineated. For informed lay readers and specialists in the area.?Richard P. Hedlund, Ashland Community Coll., Ky.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Should be required reading for art historians,film historians, ex-Beats and hippies, their children and grandchildren, and anyone interested in the possibility of making an imperfect America perfect at last. -- Karal Ann Marling

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Product Details

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826319262
• ISBN-13: 978-0826319265
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Utopian Vistas, May 23, 2000

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This review is from: Utopian Vistas: The Mabel Dodge Luhan House and the American Counterculture (Paperback)

Mabel Dodge Luhan was a hostess and visionary. She made her home in Taos, New Mexico a quiet haven for artists. Several painters, photographers, and writers vistited Mabel's home to reflect, rest, and work. This book is a combination of stories about the house and the visitors who stayed there. It contains many interesting stories about the events that occured with Mabel's home, and the people who were touched by it.