Okay, this was really cool. I'm the kind of person who wonders about what people are like when I drive by their houses, not even really in a nosy way, but wondering what kinds of stories they have to tell. These pages felt full of those kinds of stories. It was fascinating seeing what got left behind.
The buildings themselves were amazing too. Older houses are so different and unique, especially compared to so many modern block houses.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC

There’s something hauntingly beautiful about American the Abandoned, and visually, it delivers on that eerie nostalgia that Bryan Sansivero is known for. The atmosphere is rich—every image feels like it holds a story, or at least the ghost of one.

That said, I found myself wondering if some of the scenes were more staged than discovered. There’s a fine line between documentary and design, and at times, the composition felt a little too perfect, a little too curated. For instance, stuffed animals and tablecloths that were, presumably, abandoned for decades, have not a spot of dust, dirt, or debris on them. Also, some of the items look a little *too* conveniently placed. It doesn't take away from the book’s impact entirely as a creepy coffee table book, but it does shift how I experienced it—less like a raw capture of the forgotten, and more like an artistic reimagining of it.

Still, it’s a visually striking book that succeeds in evoking emotion. I just wish it had let the ruins speak for themselves a little more. Thank you, NetGalley!

Beautiful book. I can really appreciate this book since I have a passion for both photography and abandoned buildings. Great job.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of America the Abandoned and dove in immediately. Bryan Sansivero is a phenomenal photographer with a rare talent for capturing more than just beautiful images—he preserves entire time capsules. Each photo feels like a moment frozen in time, a glimpse into lives long forgotten.

The interior shots especially struck me. The colors, the furniture—some of it surprisingly vivid—hint at stories once lived within those walls. It’s wild to think how much is simply left behind, untouched by time but slowly reclaimed by nature.

That said, it was the exterior images that lingered with me the most. These decaying homes, standing like hollowed-out monuments, made me wonder what the land and the people were like decades ago. There's a haunting beauty to it all—equal parts eerie and poetic.

I’d absolutely love to own a physical copy of this book when it's released. It’s the kind of work you want to return to again and again, always finding something new in the stillness.

Oh boy—if you like old houses, this is 100% a book for you. I've been following Sansivero on Instagram for ages, because I'm drawn to images of decay, and that decay is exactly what he documents. And this book, it's a gem: bird nests on mantelpieces, and layers of peeling paint, and mannequins popping up in unexpected places, and houses full to the brim with items that haven't been used since the 1950s, and on it goes.

The book is split between interior and exterior shots, with the former taking up almost the first three quarters of the book. I thought I would like the exterior shots more, but the deeper into the book I got the more the interior photos pulled me in. There's a short line under each photo—sometimes a little bit of context about the person who lived there (either hard-and-fast information or supposition based on the contents of the house), and sometimes a little bit about what Sansivero saw in the shot.

My favourite shots tend to be the ones with mannequins in them (what can I say—I am a sucker for a good mannequin in an unexpected place), but there are also a couple of gorgeous shots of what must have once been a quite nice yellow entryway, and in general a mix of delicacy and decay is always striking. (Many description reference a given house as being one of Sansivero's favourite places to photograph—probably a few too many! But it made me smile to think how much this must be a passion project, if one he's hopefully turning a profit on.) It also surprised me how *old* so much of this abandonment clearly is. Maybe that's silly, but I guess it just boggles my mind that some of these places have sat abandoned for so many decades without being fully looted (I imagine some things have walked off, of course) and that nobody has claimed them or sold them or...something.

Most of the photos were taken on the East Coast, with a significant minority in the Midwest—I'm curious whether this means there might someday be a follow-up from points farther west.

If this sounds up your alley, I highly recommend it—but absolutely pick a format that allows you to see the pictures in colour and in a large size. (This is not a book to read on your Kindle Paperwhite!) And while you're at it, check out Christopher Payne's "Asylum" and Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein's "Cheap Old Houses".

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Oh my god, WHAT a gorgeous book this is.

I'm a sucker for abandoned houses. Who lived there, what was their life like, why did they leave so much behind? A home once lived in and loved only to be laid bare to time and the elements is a bittersweet thought. Sansivero captures this very feeling with America the Abandoned. Mystery, nostalgia, wonder, sadness, and beauty are all conveyed through his vivid, stunning photographs of these deserted homes. Every single image was a time capsule, a story in itself.

(As a Virginian, I also really loved that we had so many homes represented in this collection!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good coffee table book and I am fascinated by older buildings, especially abandoned ones. This beautiful and haunting books gives the reader the opportunity to explore those places from the safety of a book. Each image a caption is seared into my brain.

I want to set this on my coffee table. I want to share the photos with friends and family. I wish I had the courage to explore these types of places. I think this is a book that anyone with similar interests would LOVE!

Thank you to Net Galley and Artisan Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own!