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American Windmills: An Album of Historic Photographs
by T. Lindsay Baker

From the earliest days of European settlement, Americans have cherished the sight of a windmill – an instantly recognizable feature of the American landscape. Boasting nearly 200 striking images, this book is the first devoted to photographs illustrating historic wind machines throughout North America .  

T. Lindsay Baker, an expert historian on windmills and graduate of Texas Tech, has written about wind-power history for 25 years. His album contains historic images captured by professional windmiller B.H. “ Tex ” Burdick and from corporate archives of windmill manufacturers. It depicts windmills in a wide range of settings and uses – not only on ranches and farms but also alongside railroads, in industry and even in urban areas.

The photos chosen for this book illustrate windmill manufacture, distribution and use in all regions of the United States , with an emphasis on the Great Plains . They take us into the factories to show how commercial windmills were mass-produced and marketed – and also into rural America to show how inventive individuals designed their own homemade wind machines, often recycling farm materials to build them.  

More than just “windmill pictures,” these photos offer a compelling view of past times. By showing wind machines in use, they convey a treasure trove of Americana : sod houses on the plains, factory workers in the Midwest and women in bustle dresses taking in the landscape from atop windmill towers. An introduction by photography historian John Carter provides an overview of the importance of windmills in rural life and Americans’ compulsion for photographing them.  

Rising tall to harness an ever-present force of nature, windmills remain a vital part of the American landscape. These images form part of the enduring record of life in the United States , and “American Windmills” preserves that record in this most illuminating book.  

156 pages, hard cover with dust jacket

$34.95

(#4567)