City of Darkness - Life In Kowloon City (Paperback)

by Ian Lambot (Author, Editor, Illustrator), Greg Girard (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Girard and Lambot spent four years exploring the notorious Walled City of Kowloon (Hong Kong), before it's final clearance in 1992. With over 320 photographs, 32 extended interviews, and essays on the City's history and character, this reprint is not only an informative glimpse of a now vanished landmark but a sensitive and penetrating portrait of a unique community.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Watermark (June 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1873200137
• ISBN-13: 978-1873200131
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 10.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #357,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #23 in	Books > History > Asia > Hong Kong
  #37 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Travel > Far East
  #58 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Travel > Asia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've ever seen!, March 4, 2006

By	Kenneth Garing "Kgar_Fiction" (SF, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Everyone who I have ever shown this book to has had a deep reaction to it. I wouldn't handicap this book by calling it a photography book alone, although the photos are very powerful and prominent, but the text deserves recognition aswell. Plenty of personal stories of how people made this decaying city their home. Both epic and intimate. A testament of the human animal's ability to adapt and thrive. Thank god the authors got in to Kowloon before its destruction to create this book.

Also, as a side note: Any artist wanting reference material for decaying urban sprawl, look no further. This book makes for great city or science fiction reference, with unbelievable details (electrical boxes, pipes, hallways, stairwells, etc...)

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars City of Darkness--Life in Kowloon Walled City, September 2, 2005

By	A. Lau - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was born in Hong Kong and lived in the Walled City for 2 years with my mother when I was 10. Love the photos, history, and facts about the walled city, bring back lots of memories.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Content 5 stars; binding zero stars, September 8, 2007

By	J. Lamarca (new york) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I hate to do this, but other buyers should be aware: I have the July 2005 printing (paperback; the only one available from Amazon) and it has the absolute cheapest, flimsiest glue binding I have ever seen on a book. The cover became detached before I was done looking through it the first time, and now that I have looked through it exactly once, the page sections are starting to fall away from the remaining glue strip. And I am being very careful with it. What a disappointment as the photos are stunning, the text and interviews fascinating, and the quality of the photo pages themselves excellent.