{"product_id":"untimely-ruins-nick-yablon-9780226946634","title":"Untimely Ruins: An Archaeology of American Urban Modernity, 1819-1919","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmerican ruins have become increasingly prominent, whether in discussions of \"urban blight\" and home foreclosures, in commemorations of 9\/11, or in postapocalyptic movies. In this highly original book, Nick Yablon argues that the association between American cities and ruins dates back to a much earlier period in the nation's history. Recovering numerous scenes of urban desolation--from failed banks, abandoned towns, and dilapidated tenements to the crumbling skyscrapers and bridges envisioned in science fiction and cartoons--\u003ci\u003eUntimely Ruins \u003c\/i\u003echallenges the myth that ruins were absent or insignificant objects in nineteenth-century America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first book to document an American cult of the ruin, \u003ci\u003eUntimely Ruins \u003c\/i\u003etraces its deviations as well as derivations from European conventions. Unlike classical and Gothic ruins, which decayed gracefully over centuries and inspired philosophical meditations about the fate of civilizations, America's ruins were often \"untimely,\" appearing unpredictably and disappearing before they could accrue an aura of age. As modern ruins of steel and iron, they stimulated critical reflections about contemporary cities, and the unfamiliar kinds of experience they enabled. Unearthing evocative sources everywhere from the archives of amateur photographers to the contents of time-capsules, \u003ci\u003eUntimely Ruins\u003c\/i\u003e exposes crucial debates about the economic, technological, and cultural transformations known as urban modernity. The result is a fascinating cultural history that uncovers fresh perspectives on the American city.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Nick Yablon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226946630\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226946634\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/01\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 5.90w x 1.20d","brand":"Nick Yablon","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086430351615,"sku":"9780226946634","price":99.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1fba4b03-b414-495a-977b-5a12cff57d95.jpg?v=1769094628","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/untimely-ruins-nick-yablon-9780226946634","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}