Abandoned Places: 60 stories of places where time stopped

by Richard Happer

Ghost towns, empty streets, crumbling ruins and lost empires this book reveals these and other deserted places. Many places featured were once populated and now sit unoccupied, modern day ruins, sitting in decay.

Stories, facts and photographs of 60 beautiful and eerie abandoned places from throughout the world. Time has stopped and nature is taking resident in these places mainly due to natural disasters, war or economic reasons.

Places

Severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Six Flags Jazzland has been abandoned since. Several of the rides still stand, a testimony to the resilience of New Orleans.Shicheng in China has been under water for 53 years since the Xin'an River Hydro Plant flooded the area. The city was founded 1,300 years ago.Chernobyl was totally abandoned after the nearby nuclear disaster in 1986. Due to radiation, it has been left untouched ever since the incident and will be for many thousands of years into the future. Nature now rules the city in what resembles an apocalyptic movie.Poveglia is an island in the Venetian Lagoon which under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte became a dumping ground for plague victims and later an asylum for the mentally ill.Plymouth was the capital of the island of Montserrat. The town was overwhelmed by volcanic eruptions starting in 1995 and was abandoned.St Kilda a remote Scottish Island may have been permanently inhabited for at least two millennia, the population probably never exceeding 180. The entire population was evacuated in 1930.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Photography, Architecture

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2015

Reviews

[Rosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many places that humans have settled, thrived in, and then abruptly departed from. What brought people to that place? What was life like for them? Why did they leave? The book seeks to answer these questions with stunning photographs of 60 such abandoned places from all over the globe and detailed historical information about each of them. It is a delight for every history/anthropology lover.



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[Theo Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating pictorial record although the text is unreliable.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tour of miscellaneous abandoned places across the world, from Chernobyl to St Kilda, from Poveglia to Six Flags Jazzland. Each place gets a short description of its history, and then some photos. An interesting book, and good to discover some new places. But sadly the photos were regularly disappointing, and the text somewhat lacking.

[Hessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessant boek met mooie foto's. Iets teveel recente plekken.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, fascinating book, both the places described in the text and the photographs are brilliant. There is something mesmerizing about looking at the edifices and buildings that were until recently sights of power and prestige gatherings, like the decayed communist party building in Bulgaria, the luxury hotel located to a stunning waterfall that is now an open sewer - or the most bizarre of all those buildings of the fast vanishing city of Detroit.

An amazing book and one that leaves one wanting to know more and see more.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

c2015 (5) FWFTB: Ghost towns, empty streets, crumbling ruins, lost empires, Montserrat. Disappointingly, the pictures seemed to be fairly common ones of the places that are being described - or perhaps they have just be widely shared on the Internet. But the words that accompany the photographs made the book all worth while. Definitely recommended to the normal crew. "The south is a wasteland, an ash covered dead zone."

[Simon Dobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour of some of the most atmospheric abandoned and semi-abandoned places in the world, ranging from ancient cities, through colonial-era hill hotels, to Communist showpieces and disaster sites. All accompanied by fascinating descriptions and wonderful photography.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many places where mankind flourished and deserted overnight. Beautiful photos and very interesting stories to go along with them. Very dangerous for a travel bug like me, more places have been added to my "visit" list

[Andy Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Abandoned places: 60 stories of places where time has stopped” by Richard Happer

Wonderful book, detailed, photography is exceptional. So many interesting places. Most of these places were built and subsequently abandoned due to human ambition in locations that were always precarious. *****

[Ariadne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing. There was only a page or two on each place so you only get a very shallow overview and not enough pictures, especially before and afters.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book of photographs

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pretty, but almost homeopathic in the quantity of information supplied about each place.

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit disappointed by this book. Was hoping for more details about the places but you only get 1-3 short paragraphs and 3 photos and that’s about it.

[Amanda Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

More a visual book, with 4 - 6 full page colour photos of every place/building mentioned and a brief summary of location, year closed and original purpose.

[Dom Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd had this on a wish-list for a while, and ended up picking up a secondhand copy that I stumbled upon. Although some of the locations are predictable, this is an evocative and fascinating book which discusses paces that humanity has moved away from in a variety of depths. The photographs are often beautiful and several of the descriptions had me wanting to learn more and perhaps even use the places in roleplaying games.

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading books about abandoned places. I'm not sure why, but there is just something poignant and haunting about them. This particular collection has been put together by Harper Collins. Places are in chronological order, all the way from centuries BC, up until today, with places in the process of being abandoned. Each place is given a profile detailing when it was abandoned, why, where it is, how many people occupied it, and its current status. The entries are accompanied by beautiful photographs, and a paragraph giving a brief summary of each place.

Because I have read other books like this, some of these places were already known to me, but others were completely new. Some sounded incredibly fascinating, and I would love to know more about them than just the brief information given. Still, this is an enjoyable book for everyone who loves abandoned places.

[Ant Koplowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book of an eclectic mix of various abandoned places across the world. Some are single buildings, others are who cities and towns, but they also have their abandonment in common.

The stories behind each site are short, but contain all the key facts to explain how they (however arbitrarily) came to be left uninhabited.

A great book, well worth the price.

© Koplowitz 2015

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Book. I really loved this book. Well researched, and there was a good balance between the pictures and stories behind the abandoned placed. Also the places mentioned in the book cover the whole world rather than just one area. The only minor issue is that some of the places are restricted so there's limited pictures of them. Nevertheless, it was a really enjoyable read and its amazing to see the different abandoned places.

[Grace]

Nice pictures, but could use more detailed descriptions as to why some places were abandoned. Although some examples speak for themselves (Gee, I wonder why Saddam Hussein's palaces are abandoned), other examples are vague. Exactly what economic or political reasons led to abandonment? Modern cities can glean that information in regards to what not to do in order to ensure the urban area stays thriving.

[Tola O · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author turns a very simple concept into an incredibly compelling read. I was totally absorbed by the eerie and often sad stories behind the various abandonments.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable and fascinating visit to places that are no longer what they once where. Some beautiful photography and lovely words to go alongside.

[Madi Ojala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting with beautiful photos.

[Diego González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es posible que la fascinación que ejercen sobre el público los lugares abandonados esté alimentada por la misma corriente subterránea que ha propiciado la explosión de las novelas de zombis y apocalípticas en general. Exploradores urbanos, fotógrafos y, más recientemente, cualquier persona con acceso a Internet, se ven inevitablemente atraidos hacia estos lugares como las polillas a la luz. Los derrelictos nos recuerdan que somos igual de mortales que todos los que nos precedieron, y que todas las creaciones del hombre son polvo destinado a ser barrido por el viento de la Historia, como él mismo. Acercarse, pues, a estos pecios de la civilización es tanto visitar un pasado congelado en el tiempo como que visualizar el futuro que nos espera a todos.

En este volumen en tapa dura se mezclan ciudades antiguas como Petra o Macchu Picchu con derrelictos contemporáneos como Prípiat o Epecuén. Lugares que fueron evacuados forzosamente con islas donde la civilización se devoró a sí misma. Pueblos sumergidos bajo pantanos o bajo toneladas de lava con recintos turísticos sellados por la guerra. También se relatan las historias de decadencia de edificios convertidos en ruinas, como los del centro de Detroit, o de bases militares que perdieron su uso y permanecen congeladas en los años en los que defendían a alguien de algo. Abandoned Places es un paseo fascinado por sesenta reliquias antiguas y modernas que han llegado hasta nosotros conservando intacto, o casi, la Historia de su época, testimonios mudos de un tiempo que nunca volverá.

[Caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book with excellent photographs. Abandoned places range from Islands, cities, prisons, forts, theme parks etc. There is enough text to give you the history of the place and what caused it to be abandoned, without drowning you in facts and figures. 'Drowning' is just one cause of the abandonments! Would recommend this book highly. Great coffee table, guest room book.