An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar.

An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar. Photographs by Taryn Simon. Foreword by Salman Rushdie. Commentary by Ronald Dworkin. Essay by Elisabeth Sussman, Christina Kukielski. Steidl / Whitney Museum, Gottingen, 2007. 70 pp., Illustrated throughout, 10x13½".

"In An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, Taryn Simon documents spaces that are integral to America’s foundation, mythology and daily functioning, but remain inaccessible or unknown to a public audience. She has photographed rarely seen sites from domains including: science, government, medicine, entertainment, nature, security and religion. [...] The work responds to a desire to discover unknown territories, to see everything."

I think these photographs are simply beautiful, rather than "form a seductive collection that reflects and reveals a national identity", which I gather is the aim with the photography process and subsequent book. I've chosen to shown them as just that (beautiful), but for those who are intrigued by the stated intention of the book go here for links and to read and see more.