AMERICAN RUINS
Photographs by Arthur Drooker
Foreword by Douglas Brinkley
Essay by Christopher Woodward

AMERICAN RUINS, a Merrell publication, is the first photography book to document historic ruins throughout the United States. It presents a stunning visual record of ruins ranging from ancient Native American dwellings in the Southwest to the remains of Gilded Age mansions on the East Coast and a king’s summer home in Hawaii.

Luminous infrared photographs expose crumbled walls, weathered facades, and overgrown flora, and are accompanied by brief essays detailing the historical, geographical and architectural significance of each site. This landmark publication raises awareness of and appreciation for overlooked ruins that remain unknown even to most Americans. It captures the visual poetry of each place and offers a new way of seeing the landscape, the past, and the collective identity of America.

• A unique, awe-inspiring photographic record of American history

• The first photographic record of historic ruins throughout the United States

• A large format book richly illustrated with approximately 100 photographs of more than
  twenty ruins of sites from across the United States

ARTHUR DROOKER is a photographer whose work has been exhibited and published since1980. He is also an Emmy Award-winning writer and director of television documentaries.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY is a noted historian and the author of numerous books, including American Heritage New History of the United States (2007).

CHRISTOPHER WOODWARD is Director of the Museum of Garden History, London, and
the author of In Ruins (2001).