Gaya Aspen

I didn't expect to actually read this cover to cover, but Aerin Lauder's introduction pulled me in and the photography of those old mining-town buildings versus the modern chalets is gorgeous. It's a hefty book too, feels substantial on the shelf.

I bought this as a coffee table book and it ended up being the one guests actually pick up. Aerin Lauder's introduction gives it a personal feel, and the mix of glamour shots with the town's working-class history is what makes it more than just pretty pictures.

The photos of those old Victorian-era hotels and the mining town shots give you a sense of Aspen long before it got glamorous. I left it on the coffee table and guests keep picking it up to flip through the history sections.