Contents
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available for Review
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| Author |
George Bedirian |
| Title |
Palouse
Country |
| Publication |
Pullman,
WA: Washington State University Press, 2002 |
| ISBN |
0-87422-254-0 |
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Sandra
Shropshire
Eli M. Oboler Library, Idaho State University |
If you’re planning to publish a book of photographs of the
Palouse area of eastern Washington and northwestern Idaho, an area of
unique natural beauty, of undulating hills of rich farmland dotted with
clusters of trees, why do it in black and white and feature abandoned
buildings?
George Bedirian’s response, in his book, Palouse Country, would
seem to be that stark contrasts and a haunting testimony to what once
was is the Palouse.
In the book’s introductory essay, he provides a brief social,
economic and ecological history of the last 125 years of this area.
It was once a thriving farming area, with population centers and
bright economic prospects. There
was also considerably more of
the Palouse—between 1939 and 1977, according to Bedirian, the area
lost 40% of its topsoil. Mechanization
and the widespread use of the automobile, he says, are the causes of the
changes resulting in the Palouse of today, littered with abandoned
buildings, less populated, and yet, inhabited by some whose
determination and efforts are improving the erosion rate.
The more than 100 photographs in the book depict seasonal landscapes,
plant life and buildings which are mostly abandoned and some of which
have since been demolished. Shots
of humans are rare, and when present, suggest that the humans are
incidental elements within the scenario.
The book, then, serves both as an anthem to the beauty and the
resilience of the Palouse area, and as a reminder of the detrimental
effects of our collective efforts upon the land.
This is a new edition of the 1987 publication of the same title and as
such, includes “dozens of previously unpublished images.”
Indeed, this edition contains 40 new photographs--primarily of
plant life. There are few
photographs of barns in this edition—the photographer is likely to
have covered those still standing in the earlier edition.
Bedirian is Associate Editor of the Washington State Magazine and is on staff at Washington State
University. His work has
been exhibited regionally and has been recognized with several awards.
His publications also include journal articles.
Educated in the eastern U.S., his academic background includes
English, education and photography.
He is a long time resident of the Palouse area.
This book’s photographic documentation of the Palouse area occupies a
niche that is otherwise poorly filled. There are few such collections available, if WorldCat is any
indication. Recommended for
any type of Washington or Idaho library, although smaller libraries
outside the region of the Palouse that already have the 1987 edition may
find it hard to justify the expense from a limited materials budget.
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