Preview our Spring 2024 catalog, featuring more than 500 new books on art, photography, design, architecture, film, music and visual culture.
PRINTED MATTER, INC/FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE
High Line: A Field Guide and Handbook
A Project by Mark Dion
Edited with introduction by Ethan Hauser. Text by Kenneth Helphand. Illustrations by Bryan McGovern Wilson, Naomi Reis. Design by Jorge Colombo.
An alternative guide to New York's beloved elevated park
Presented as an alternative survey of some of the curious aspects of New York’s iconic High Line, this Field Guide by American artist Mark Dion (born 1961) provides an account of the wildlife, plants and insects that inhabit the space, as well as essays considering the social context and history of the site.
Full of peculiar observations, rumors, speculations and mostly true facts, the Field Guide encourages viewers to question popular ideologies that define today’s “official” history of the elevated park. It includes “thoughts, musings and histories,” such as a timeline of events on the High Line, a “concise” guide to the wildlife and illustrated guide to the plants of the area, Facts, Myths, & Rumors and even a Lost & Found section.
Facts, Myths & Rumors is particularly illustrative of Dion’s characteristic oscillation between fact and fiction. The section consists of a list of uncategorized statements, ranging from serious declarations (“the High Line once extended to Spring Street”) to more humorous musings (“the ghost of the West Side Cowboy has been seen and heard around the West 20th Street section of the park”). Dion leaves the viewer to separate truth from myth.
Taken as a whole, the text encourages imagination and inquiry rather than dictating fact, asking the viewer to play a role in shaping his or her own version of history. Dion’s Field Guide is a colorful introduction offering new perspective on the High Line.
Featured image is reproduced 'High Line: A Field Guide and Handbook.'
A plastic pig, fingerless gloves, a cooler and a teething ring are just some of the objects that have shown up in the Lost and Found at New York City’s High Line elevated park. Some of these are featured in this spread from Mark Dion’s playful 48-page, 4.5 x 7 inch High Line: A Field Guide and Handbook. Other chapters include a concise guide to the wildlife, a list of all trees and shrubs, a map, rules and regulations, and a section devoted to facts, myths and rumors. continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 4.5 x 7 in. / 48 pgs / 35 color / 28 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $15.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $21.5 GBP £13.50 ISBN: 9780894390869 PUBLISHER: Printed Matter, Inc/Friends of the High Line AVAILABLE: 2/28/2017 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of stock indefinitely AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: WORLD
High Line: A Field Guide and Handbook A Project by Mark Dion
Published by Printed Matter, Inc/Friends of the High Line. Edited with introduction by Ethan Hauser. Text by Kenneth Helphand. Illustrations by Bryan McGovern Wilson, Naomi Reis. Design by Jorge Colombo.
An alternative guide to New York's beloved elevated park
Presented as an alternative survey of some of the curious aspects of New York’s iconic High Line, this Field Guide by American artist Mark Dion (born 1961) provides an account of the wildlife, plants and insects that inhabit the space, as well as essays considering the social context and history of the site.
Full of peculiar observations, rumors, speculations and mostly true facts, the Field Guide encourages viewers to question popular ideologies that define today’s “official” history of the elevated park. It includes “thoughts, musings and histories,” such as a timeline of events on the High Line, a “concise” guide to the wildlife and illustrated guide to the plants of the area, Facts, Myths, & Rumors and even a Lost & Found section.
Facts, Myths & Rumors is particularly illustrative of Dion’s characteristic oscillation between fact and fiction. The section consists of a list of uncategorized statements, ranging from serious declarations (“the High Line once extended to Spring Street”) to more humorous musings (“the ghost of the West Side Cowboy has been seen and heard around the West 20th Street section of the park”). Dion leaves the viewer to separate truth from myth.
Taken as a whole, the text encourages imagination and inquiry rather than dictating fact, asking the viewer to play a role in shaping his or her own version of history. Dion’s Field Guide is a colorful introduction offering new perspective on the High Line.
