Town Books

Very well written. Just what I had hoped it would be. I plan to buy other books by the same author

Derek Fell does it again! Amazing photography combined with very well researched and written text, sprinkled with occasional glimpses of the original paintings. However, it and "Monet's Garden" are very similar. I personally liked the latter so much I bought several other of his works, and they all are exceptional.

In Gotham's Shadow examines three towns in the Mohawk Valley region of New York State. He looks at economic changes in the city and suburbs of Utica as part of the general pattern of economic restructuring found in eastern cities. He shows that Utica has struggled with the loss of the textile industry, a bazarre scandal that hit the political machine in the 1950s, and the closing of a nearby air force base. He then compares this "metropolitan" pattern to similar changes in the rural towns of Cooperstown and Hartwick. Both lost retail and agriculture during the same time period (since World War II), but whereas Cooperstown could rely on tourism and a small hospital to keep it afloat, Hartwick just kind of withered away. I think this is a great book, and anyone interested in addressing the problems in upstate New York should read it.

Alexander Thomas wrote about three towns in upstate New York, which has been having pretty bad economic problems. What makes this book worth reading is that he shows how what's happening today developed from the end of world war II. He talks about Utica and the urban renewal programs, the highways, the effect of companies moving out, and how the state of the city today is really the product of fifty years of events. Then he shows how small towns like Cooperstown and Hartwick have suffered the same trends but, because theyre small towns, they experienced them differently. Everybody interested in upstate New York needs to read this book! Anybody interested in social change needs to read it too.

This is a must for any Gilchrist fan. It's her first collection of short stories everyone will be delighted to read about the beginning of Nora Jane, Rhoda and other fabulous characters. All the stories are wonderful, but my favorite is the short wistful piece, "1944." It's not really a story so much as a beautiful fragment of memory.

The final story in this book is the best short story I have ever read anywhere. Hands down.

Gilchrist is a writer of rare grace and absolutely flawless ear for the language and foibles of upper-class women from the Delta, viz, Mississippi, Southeast Louisiana, Memphis, and, on occasion, Fayetteville. Most of them have lived in Uptown New Orleans at least some of their lives.

All are spirited, overindulged, bright, lonely, and infinitely memorable. Gilchrist writes of them with compassion and verve, and absolute pinpoint accuracy, right down to the stuffed crab they buy at Langenstein's deli. Most fall prey to substance abuse for part of their lives, and all are have big powerful men in their lives who just don't listen or pay attention.

But Gilchrist's characters are not whining closeted feminists. They do claim their own power and space. And they make the reader love them.

Whenever I read Gilchrist's books, I find myself wondering if she ever gets invited to lunch in New Orleans anymore. She is just too too acurate and skewers too well the pretentions and aspirations of Uptown matrons too accurately for her to have any friends left in the Crescent City.

If you're an outsider and plan to visit deep Delta Dixie, read this book first unless you only want to see the superficial.

The unexpected and sharply tragic ending of this book's final short story will grab you by the throat, and never let go.

I found this book by chance in a small town on the California coast. I was blown away. The book isn't very large but the stories made my hairs stand on end. Reinstedt travels up the California coast, with incredible and amazing stores in his wake. A few of my favorites; Lost souls from a lost race, A mysterious light appeared, He was certain something was there, The dark watchers of Santa Lucias, The faceless figure stared at him through eyeless sockets, and my personal favorite, The clock was keeping perfect time. Truly an enjoyable, ghostly treasure.

This is a well written account about ghosts in the Big Sur area. It tells of a ghost plane that goes under Bixby, Ghost wagon at Mal Paso, and a lot of other interesting stories. A must buy!

The biggest obstacle Americans suffer to any sort of progress on urban problems is the Big Lie that after being forced to lie in their own excrement for decades, America's poorest cities can right themselves through a little more efficiency (in the conservative version) or Great Society spending on "community development" (in the liberal version). Rusk shows why community development doesn't work, and also shows why most cities (other than a few immigration hubs like NYC and Sun Belt cities with unlimited annexation powers) simply can't compete with their suburbs without outside help (or at least without a termination of outside hostility, such as highway spending that drags development ever further into the suburbs): if a city has no tax base and poor people who make public services more expensive, it can't compete with the suburbs, efficiency or no efficiency. Like Cities without Suburbs (also by Rusk), this is a masterpiece.

Rusk's book roots out the causes of concentrated urban poverty, proposes solutions, and provides examples of success stories. Rusk convincingly argues that poor racial minorities should be welcome to live in functional neighborhoods, such as the suburbs. I attended a conference at which Rusk discussed "Inside Game, Outside Game," and I was delighted to hear one politician declare that that book should be required reading for every politician in my state. I agree.

I ordered 3 different books for my trip to Cape Town and this was by far the best, and the one I constantly came back to.

I got this guide as a gift. My friends have the Lonely Planet one and I have seen other brands for Cape Town. The Insight guide is 10 million times better than most of the competition. More detailed and useful photographs, all in color, at least one on each page. Short text but crammed with information for those who would rather spend time on adventures than reading a guide book. It was very entertaining to read as well. If you're going to Cape Town, get this book and you will know what I mean. Their warning about Long Street is hilarious. Their description of the people who hang out at the Clifton Beaches is unbelievable coming from a guide book. There are little interesting stories/facts throughout the book such as the one about the first female doctor to perform a C-section. She was pretending to be a man in order to be a doctor and the truth was only discovered when she died. Again, this book is such a great deal for the price and beats almost all other guidebooks out there at under $10.

This extraordinary book brings together a confluence of compelling themes: The history of a city and its self concept; the evolution of city planning and the politics of public space; visionary thinking and the implications of decisions on the future of urban living; and the visual record of 19th century Boston through historical photographs and maps. These ideas have been woven into a highly readable book, stunningly designed by Yasuyo Iguchi. For anyone who lives in or has lived in Boston, this book is the best history of the city's evolution. For others who may not be as compelled by the specific story of how the Charles River came to be or the significance of the Big Dig, this book is a fascinating and provocative exploration of the implications that face all cities as they envision themselves into the future. How should public space be used? Who decides what is the public good? Haglund cares passionately about these issues and has assembled a thoughtful, readable and provocative response to these important questions. Don't miss it.

This book received an Award of Honor from the American Society of Landscape Architects Professional Awards Program in 2003.

This is a great book. Since a child, my family has spent a lot of time in the pines--on the Mullica, visits to Batso, canoe trips and hikes all around. I wish I had gotten this book thirty years ago!

Although superseded by later books in terms of touring forgotten towns in the NJ Pine Barrens, this book is still the best regarding the history behind these towns. It is especially good for providing two important primary sources: the Martha Furnace Diary, kept by the clerk at the furnace, Caleb Earle, of which only copies exist today, presented in full (it ran, on and off, from March 1808 to May 1815); and extracts from the Batsto Store Books, which go from Jan. 1851 to Dec. 1863. Pierce details the major establishments of the Pines, including Batsto, Atsion, Washington, Harrisville, Etna Furnace, and Pleasant Mills and relates their history at length. He has done his research well and, again, his use of primary sources (old books, letters, journals) is commendable. The book has remained in print since first published in 1957, and hopefully it will remain in print for many years to come.

See northern Maine life in the late 1800's, early 1900's through pictures by Isaac Simpson and stories by his son, Millard Simpson: farming, blacksmithing, lumbering, railroads, the building of the Great Northern Paper Company in East Millinocket and more. A valuable documentation of life in northern Maine at the turn of the century.

An excellent book, especially if your interested in turn of the century photography and living in Northern Maine

In Judevine, David Budbill transforms a small Vermont town and it's inhabitants into allegories for humanity. Though it's written as a play, or a series of poems, it could easily be a documentary because of it's accuracy. Every vermonter can recognize these charactors, or their real life counterparts. What's amazing about this book is Budbill's great compassion, he treats these people with respect. However Budbill transcends his material and creates art. I recommend this book without qualification to every reader, the casual one who enjoys beautiful writing and colloquial charactors and the more serious one who will understand Budbill's subtle allegories

While reading this book I could see myself in this town of Judevine, VT. Budbill wrote the poetry through the eyes of one of his characters, David a college graduate who had moved to this ficticious hillside town in northern Vermont. Every character comes alive, and has feelins and thoughts that the reader can see. I was able to relate to almost all of the characters of these poems, and was happy with them, and heartbroken with them as well. Perhaps the greatest character is Antione, a foul mouthed french logger, I am not sure if he was supposed to be french-canadian but that is how I percieved him. Antione has feelings on everything and gives us a humourous perspective on most issues, as well as our own lives. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry. It almost seems to be a present day Canterbury Tales, and definitely worth reading. Also, if you are able, please watch the play "Judevine" by Budbill as well.