Ghost Towns of the American West

German freelance photographer Steinhilber gathers 80 full-color photographs of Western ghost towns in this glossy testament to the boom-and-bust of the Gold Rush era. On commission from Smithsonian Magazine, Steinhilber set up his tripod in 19 different abandoned places, shooting as darkness fell; with a powerful headlamp and long exposures, he captured crumbling buildings, old chimneys and rotting mills. With richly blue skies in the background, and the light catching the tips of grasses or the curve of pebbles in the foreground, these pictures show the buildings illuminated as if by klieg lights; the effect is to render them eerily, glowingly clear. They look fake, even--like Hollywood back lot renditions of saloons and mines (some of the buildings were actually featured in TV and film westerns). The effect grows a little stale, and the more traditional shots--interiors with old portraits and school desks, barbershop chairs and typewriters--are not especially interesting. But the spooky exterior shots are a startling way to look at towns that sprang up quickly and died nearly as swiftly, and the captions offering thumbnail sketches of places like Manhattan, Nev. (which""a few determined people"" still call home) and Bodie, Calif., are fine historical tidbits.