Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

This book was a must have for me when I discovered it, I was really thrilled. I am in art collector including photography and I am obsessed with malls. I love them. Of course I have great memories of the mall as a child and teen but it was when adulthood came that I really fell in love with malls, especially those on the verge of closing. It was a place I could disappear with my toddler and hear myself think and be away from everyone. Just me and him. I enjoyed eating food at the food courts even though it was not great. For me the mall was a sanctuary. This mall is in Santa Fe, NM. We moved to Arlington VA, near the Ballston Mall. This mall was also closing but would later be remodeled. Again, I loved disappearing, thinking, and eating alone. The mall is now remodeled into and indoor/outdoor style. It’s not my Architectural preference but I still like mall. We have since moved to Texas. Where we have a mall that has the old architectural style and is still operating at maximum capacity with decent stores. But, back to the book. The book is priced right for all of the photography contained in the book. We use it as our coffee table book for now. I mostly look at because no one in my family loves malls. It is beautifully done and it contains stories which are nice to read. I think the photographer is pretty good. I would say that she (think the author is a she) is a not an outstanding artist, but I do find her pictures captivating and I love the book and I’m very happy that I purchased it. I rate the book five stars because I like the concept and the stories and the photography is good! I rate the photography 3.75 stars. I am very tough art critic. I would like to see more of her work but will probably not buy her book on abandoned theme parks. But that is only because I do not like them parks and find them scary. But if I did not find them scary I would most definitely purchase it. I look forward to any future books the artist might produce.

As one of those many 1980's-1990's "Mall Rats", I was eager to get this book! I too, am very saddened by the deaths of many of these once popular and thriving malls, which also includes some of my city's malls. As with a few of the reviewers who gave this book only 1 star, I too, at first, was annoyed by numerous very dark photos until it dawned on me that the author probably wanted to express in his photographs the exact environment in which he witnessed a particular closed store - very dark, sad and foreboding. I highly recommend this book for fellow mall lovers, but keep my comment in mind if you become disappointed by the overly dark photos. I believe this is how they were meant to be presented and not artificially enhanced with lighting.

I was originally going to buy something else on Amazon, but then I saw this book, and I knew right then and therethat I had to have it. I got it at a great price and got five bucks extra off by way of a coupon. In short, this bookleapt into my hands, waiting for me to buy it, and I had the money to get it, too. Great photography abounds inthis book, as I have seen several of the malls involved in various videos on Youtube. I really hope Mr. Lawless putsout a second and even a THIRD book on dead malls in the U.S.A. Keep up the good work.

Seph's work is absolutely amazing! When it comes to the art of photography, you can't get any more talented & skilled like that. This is a heavy hardcover book with 280 pages. To think it's only little over $20! It's surprising we haven't seen more books like this or about malls in general. For all you other mall fans out there be sure to check out Northland Mall (Images of Modern America). That's a must have too & the only other mall book out there. I'm a Generation Xer, so malls were a part of my childhood all the way through my college years. I grew up in an area that had 5 indoor malls, only the biggest & strongest one has survived to this day although it's days might soon be numbered.

Having grown up in the late 70s and 80s I am definitely a member of the mall generation. I vaguely remember the downtown of our closest city which was bustling with family owned businesses only to be replaced by a mall. The lucky businesses moved to the mall leaving our downtown, destitute, baren and crime ridden. I remember when our local mall with local businesses were replaced by a new mega mall, filled with all big box stores and chains. Ironically this mall is on it's last leg in the era of online shopping and now COVID-19. The photos in the book by Steph Lawless are a reminder of eras gone by and the irreverence for tradition and history in this country. It is both beautiful and sad. It is a nostalgic trip into memories and a bygone era of commerce.

An interesting book that covers how malls, once bastions of commerce in the suburbs, have aged in their decline of the Amazon era (ironically enough). As interesting as the photos are, I can only give it a four star review because it did not include anything on the Dixie Square Mall south of Chicago where they filmed the Blues Brothers movie, wrecked it, and then left the structure to rot for thirty years before its destruction in 2012 which really spurned the interest in abandoned malls and had much better photos online. All in all, a good tribute to old malls everywhere.

This coffee table book is stunning, cover to cover. The pictures tell a sad story, of the slow collapse of the American "Mighty Mall Culture" which blossomed in the early Eighties and then partially began collapsing as the 20th-Century drew to a close in 1999. Pictures of abandoned Malls with their roof skylights broken and letting the elements through, make you wince looking at the escalators covered in deep snow. It's a chilling sight (no pun intended) which will probably accelerate, thanks to the inexorable rise of Online Shopping. Think of your favorite Mall right now, sadly it could be next.

There’s plenty of malls in this book but the photos are very uninspiring. They are all much the same so pretty boring. However, the biggest issue is most of the photos are far too dark so you can’t really see the images properly. A decent flash or extra lighting would have made all the difference in the malls that lacked natural light. A disappointing book.

photos very dark and all photos very simular

Great book!Awesome pictures.