Wyoming’s Red Desert July 20, 2015 – Posted in: Wyoming

Wyoming’s Red Desert: A Photographic Journey – Hardcover
2010, 10” x 11”, 96 pages, 109 photographs
ISBN: 9780972854443

Edited by Erik Molvar

Laguna Wilderness Press has the pleasure of publishing our first title by Erik Molvar: Wyoming’s Red Desert: A Photographic Journey, a 96-page book that contains a vast compilation of scenes from The Big Empty, The Jack Morrow Hills, The Atlantic Rim, Adobe Town, The Powder Rim and The Kinney Rim all comprising of the Red Desert in Wyoming.

Take a photographic tour of the Red Desert, one of the wildest and most enchanting remnants of the American West. Seen through the lenses of some of the region’s most talented photographers, the Red Desert comes alive as a brilliant tapestry of sand, sage and sky.

Here, in one of America’s wildest – and most threatened – landscapes, ancient rituals like the migration of pronghorn antelope play out amid the remnants of pioneer trails and Indian encampments. Visit fabled landscapes like the Boar’s Tusk, Adobe Town, and the Ferris Dunes through spectacular photographs accompanied by snippets of the Old West in the form of tales, lore, and cowboy poetry. It’s a journey across the last of the open range that you’ll never forget.

As with his previous titles, Molvar has collected an impressive array of information and photographs that creates a resource valuable to both the reader in the comfort of their home and those who are fascinated with the Red Desert. You will be hard-pressed to find another book that is such a wonderful blend of incredible photography and informative material.

REVIEWS

“A new book shows off the best of Wyoming’s Red Desert, from the sweeping vistas of Kinney Rim to the jagged profiles of Adobe Town to the ever-changing ridges of the Killpecker Dune Fields.
“Wyoming’s Red Desert,” edited by Erik Molvar, also zooms in close to examine the delicate and hardy flora and fauna — pronghorn, wild horses, mule deer, prince’s plumes, wild buckwheat, nighthawks, rabbitbrush, Great Basin gopher snakes, greater short-horned lizards, prickly pear cactus, evening primroses and more — that populate the region.”
Laramie Boomerang – October 01, 2010
Laramie Boomerang – Red Desert Review.pdf

“Throughout the course of the book, the reader is given a variety of perspectives on diverse subjects. These views are available to most Wyomingites, precious moments of immaculate beauty informed by lifetimes of subjective experience. Through “Wyoming’s Red Desert,” the reader is granted those fleeting moments — transplanted from the place of book viewing to the view within the book — at a moment’s notice. A romanticized account, you ask? Of course — and that’s kind of the point. “Wyoming’s Red Desert” offers a front row seat of au naturel nature with intimate mood lighting and an inexorable soundtrack of wind. And these aren’t just pretty pictures; they’re your backyard.”
Rawlings Daily Times – September 16, 2010
Rawlings Times – Red Desert Review .pdf

“The book gathers selections of opinion pieces written for Wyoming and national newspapers to extol and highlight the eerie beauty and power of the place, as well as its spiritual significance to Native American cultures – all of which are quite apparent through the images, for, as Molvar said, he wanted the images to tell the true story of the place.
The historical accounts reveal the thoughts, concerns and fears of the first westerners to come across this land on their way to the Oregon Territory in the 19th century. Many, it seems, didn’t know what to make of such a place, and if arriving on a cool morning with a low fog cover, the area easily looks other- worldly and like something from early science fiction writing.”
Pinedale Roundup – September 7, 2012
Pinedale Roundup Red Desert – WY Range Review.pdf

“I attended this beautiful presentation last Thursday – sponsored by the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. Photographer, conservationist and wildlife biologist, Erik Molvar travels the state and the nation on behalf of the Wyoming Humanities Council in an effort to protect this beautiful area of the Great Divide Basin from oil / gas drilling and other commercial uses. A dozen of the region’s finest photographers come together in this compelling compilation of images, history, cowboy poetry and tales from Eric’s 20 years in the field. Some of the photographers featured in the book are: Mike McClure, Pat Sullivan, Scott Smith and Ron Marquart.”
Aperture Jackson Hole and GYE
Red Desert – Aperture Jackson Hole and GYE Review .pdf

“The book’s pictorial section on the Killpecker Dunes Fields in the Jack Morrow Hills really stands out. The area includes North America’s largest migrating dunes, which are spectacularly shown in photos. The dune’s wind-etched ripples are striking, and the way the iconic, volcanic remnant Boar’s Tusk (elevation 6,808’) summit juts abruptly 400’ above the surrounding desert is incredible.
The book is a fascinating look into Wyoming’s little-known and often threaten Red Desert. It’s a good read, visually striking, and will strike a conservationist chord with readers. “
NOLS Leader Magazine – Fall 2012
NOLS Fall 2012 – Red Desert Review-1.pdf