In this sneak peek coffee table book review, you’ll find out about “Forbidden Places: Exploring Our Abandoned Heritage, Volume 2,” which has been photographed by Sylvain Margaine, whose first volume was published in 2009. It’s published by Jonglez Publishing, a French firm which sent me a review copy. Despite this, my observations about this book haven’t been vetted by the publishers.
Synopsis
Over the course of 220-plus pages, Margaine takes the reader on a journey through 24 of Europe’s most intriguing abandoned buildings and complexes, which served as such locales like a power station, sanitarium, and a Communist Party headquarters, and even as transportation means. Belgium, France, Spain, and Italy get a lot of coverage, as well as two outside-of-Europe locales for a total of 26 chapters.
The texts of David Margaine offer a brief historical perspective which introduces each abandoned place along with a poem that seeks to capture the feelings of being (in the midst of) those places of exterior and interior decay where the old machinery cries out to be used again. Generally, one to two photos can be found on each page capturing various types of architecture like Neo-medieval and Moorish.
The book measures out to be about 11 7/8″ long, 8 1/2″ wide, and 3/4″ inch thick.
For those who love historical preservation, this book doesn’t disappoint
I strongly recommend “Forbidden Places: Exploring Our Abandoned Heritage, Volume 2” for many reasons. First, the mix of black/white and color photos adds a mystique to the places that Margaine has taken painstaking effort to capture with her camera, showing that despite these buildings being left to the mercy of the elements and time, the photographer makes these places still seem alive, charming, and even haunting at times. For instance, when the viewer’s eyes are taken aback by the darkened hallways of the former mental hospital Villa Sbertoli in Tuscany, it’s because of the thoughtful photographic layout which shows up for each of the 26 places covered. Margaine’s capturing of light and shadows is nothing short of exquisite.
This book challenges the reader to ask the questions regarding the discarding of our past so blatantly as our society becomes more and more fixated on the new and quick. For instance, how could the Italian castle known as the Castello di Sammezzano, with its intricately-designed Moorish-style interiors and ornamentation, be allowed to just wither away?
This coffee table book is due out to be released on October 15 via sites like Amazon.com and has a Suggested Retail Price of $39.95. For more information about Jonglez books, go to this website
