Abandoned Cold War Places

As a child of the Cold War I loved this book.

Robert Grenville gives us a photographic journey of the bases, structures, and obsolete material left behind as the Cold War ended. They range from abandoned subs in the Murmansk Oblast to empty Minuteman silos in the Dakotas to armored personnel carriers in Afghanistan.

In one sense, the obsolete and abandoned bases from around the world are a testimony to the waste of money and effort caused by fear. Fear of communism, fear of invasion, fear of "others", and fear of losing control.

I highly recommend this book.

Abandoned Cold War Places is a fascinating pictorial examination of the remnants of a global superpower rivalry that defined the world for over 40 years.

I love the thought of sneaking into places, and the fact the author does it for me, makes me feel so much better about myself. Including short descriptions of each picture, this book takes on an exploration throughout the world in search of cold war history. From the bunkers of Sweden to the weapons of Aghanistan, this book snapshots the destruction and the preparation for it spectacularly.

The photography is excellent, protraying these places in a way that seems vulnerable - these are the places they hoped to protect people in and that essence shines in this book. The perspectives on show allow for a real exploration of the places and a snapshot in history of what could have been - particularly places which are close to where I live, mentions of places like Neatishead for example were intriguing to me as a local.

A great book if you are a curious person when it comes to history, I found this book a simple insight into something that cross sectioned two of my interests, history and places just left to the elements that you just want to explore for yourself, give it a look soon! (I just wish there was a bit more depth writing wise).