Historic Books

Knowing a bona fide eccentric, especially a benevolent one, is simultaneously an entertaining and exasperating experience. Sharing that experience with others is usually daunting. Either the essence of the person being described becomes lost in a jumble of amusing but disjointed anecdotes or eccentricity overwhelms the eccentric, rendering a flat, one-dimensional cartoon in place of a complex, multi-faceted portrait.

In Never Ask Permission, Mary Buford Hitz tackles this daunting task head on, the subject of this memoir being her mother, Elizabeth Scott Bocock or, as she often signed herself, ESB. Rather than take a sequential, "I-am-born" approach, the author chooses to devote separate chapters to different aspects of her mother's personality, each chapter a self-contained essay, overflowing with anecdotes, quotes, and, perhaps most illuminating of all, snippets of ESB's autobiographical sketches. (Most of these autobiographical excerpts, by the way, come from essays ESB wrote during her college years, which began after her sixty-seventh birthday.) Just as a puzzle becomes a picture as each piece falls into place, so does ESB's complex character come into focus, chapter by chapter, with a poignant, but essential clue to this charming, but undeniably complex Virginian saved until the very end.

Many CEO's could learn from ESB's capacity to set goals and achieve them. As ESB emerges from the pages of this lovingly crafted book, the reader meets a determined and creative thinker who probably would not have been impressed with "left-brain/right-brain, lateral thinking, creative problem-solving, if you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem" lingo, but who embodied the positive persona such jargon seeks to describe. With one foot firmly planted in late Victorian America and the other constantly, restlessly forcing her into the future, she was a visionary with an astonishing ability to get things done.

If you enjoy biography, if you are fascinated by Virginia, if you want some side-splitting laughs, or if you are just interested in a good read, this is the book for you.

I bought and read this book in preparation for moving from San Diego to Norfolk...I wanted to get a flavor of the area. What a pleasant surprise! A fascinating read and one that will make you want to visit the area to see where ESB lived, and where she had such influence in preserving historical Richmond.

If the moral of Never ask permission lies in the title, I will jump to the front of the line to praise it. The narrative careens around corners and bounces over bumps so merrily that the reader has only fleeting moments to enjoy the insiights and hoot at the comedy while holding on tightly to that pale yellow tailgate.

Mary Buford Hitz has done a remarkable job of portraying a very special person in a very special place during a very special time - the middle to late years of the twentieth century. Elisabeth Scott Bocock was a mover and shaker in Richmond, Virginia, the person who did more than anyone else to see that the city became aware of the importance of preserving its antiquities. She was one of a kind. Her daughter has written a family memoir that touches all the joys and sorrows that all families know and many delightful eccentric experiences that only her family knew. As a sensitive but un-self-conscious exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, this book cannot be beat. Mary Buford Hitz is perceptive about herself, her family, life and the world. In describing her remarkable mother, she also describes herself. Beyond that, she puts her finger on the changing mores of the twentieth century and paints a marvellous picture of her mother, a whirlwind catalyst who left no one she touched unchanged. Auntie Mame pales beside Elisabeth Bocock. This is a well-written, absorbing, wonderful chronicle - ostensibly of one woman's odyssey, but at the same time it touches on every one's odyssey.

Mary Buford Hitz has done a remarkable job of portraying a very special person in a very special place during a very special time - the middle to late years of the twentieth century. Elisabeth Scott Bocock was a mover and shaker in Richmond, Virginia, the person who did more than anyone else to see that the city became aware of the importance of preserving its antiquities. She was one of a kind. Her daughter has written a family memoir that touches all the joys and sorrows that all families know and many delightful eccentric experiences that only her family knew. As a sensitive but un-self-conscious exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, this book cannot be beat. Mary Buford Hitz is perceptive about herself, her family, life and the world. In describing her remarkable mother, she also describes herself. Beyond that, she puts her finger on the changing mores of the twentieth century and paints a marvellous picture of her mother, a whirlwind catalyst who left no one she touched unchanged. Auntie Mame pales beside Elisabeth Bocock. This is a well-written, absorbing, wonderful chronicle - ostensibly of one woman's odyssey, but at the same time it touches on every one's odyssey.

good illustrations, intertaining book

The Pierpont Morgan Library's collection of manuscripts and printed works contains some truly beautiful works of art. I was privileged to see some of them at an exhibit in the Kimbell Art Museum. This book was offered as a catalog of the exhibit and I immediately bought it as a reminder of what I had seen. The illustrations in this book, though not quite as visually stunning, are nevertheless representative of the originals. Bibliographic information is rather sparse but the further reading section is nice.

Painted Prayers gives both the structure of the book itself and the reason behind its popularity during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was the laity in general, and more specifically the female laity, that owned these works as a kind of, "direct, democratic, and potentially uninterrupted access to God, the Virgin Mary, and the saints." (p.14). It is fascinating to see the incorporation of Christian, and sometimes pagan, symbols and iconography, and even humor, in the miniatures and marginalia of the Books of Hours. The miniatures often depicted biblical, or historical, scenes in modern settings and dress. Patrons would often have their portraits, coats of arms, monograms, or intials incoprorated into the Books of Hours that they had commissioned. With the advent of printing in the 15th century Books of Hours, with their pictures, became even more successful as they could now reach out to a wider audience.

If you ever have the opportunity to see an exhibit featuring Books of Hours I recommend you see it. Failing that, Painted Prayers is a good stand in.

While this book contains chapters of material e.g. introduction, calendar, Gospel Lessons, Hours of the Virgin, Pentitential Psalms etc., the core of the book is the descriptions of the illustrations themselves. These description provide a variety of information - bits of biography of the artist, history of the manuscript (confirmed and confirmed), information regarding the style, the imagery etc. The "chapter" material provides samples of the texts, the development of the specific portion of the Book of Hours, etc. This provides the overall context for the materials.

The indices provide access by manuscript, artist, early owners; an appendex provides the outline of the major offices by incipit (first phrase) to place individual illustrations in the overall context of the prayer hour.

Don't be intimidated - the text is easily followed but one unfamilar with the prayer book content or with illuminated manuscripts. But you can also enjoy the book simply going through the pictures - like a stroll through a museum without a docent or tape.

This is a beautiful book. It has full color images througout and contains examples of several pieces that I have not seen in other books. I have a coleection of lllumination books and am thrilled with this addition.

This well-organized survey of the Book of Hours in Medieval and Renaissance art takes the reader through the various parts of the book of hours illustrating both the historical and artistic development from the earliest manuscript examples to incunabula. Lavishly illustrated with examples taken only from the Pierpont Morgan Library, where Wieck is a curator, the book is also a mini catalog of that collection. While the "reader" could fully enjoy this book by simply looking at the pictures, Wieck's text is full of illuminating tidbits. The book also contains some detailed descriptions of medieval liturgy and religious practices that may be of interest to some readers.

Unlike some boring secondary-source history books, Dom Dimaggio gives a riveting first-hand account of the 1941 baseball season. During the 1941 season, Joe Dimaggio recorded his 56 game hitting streak and Ted Williams hit .406. Dom Dimaggio has the great fortune of being the brother of Joltin' Joe and a close friend of Teddy Ballgame. Throughout the book, Mr. Dimaggio recalls his favorite moments and memories of his career playing for the Red Sox. Certainly, a must-read for any baseball fan that loves to learn about the history of the game!

After the heroics of this past baseball season, it was a pleasure to read about one year in another era of the sport that also included monumental feats by star players. Joe dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak and Ted William's .406 batting average are records still waiting to be broken. Dom Dimaggio has brought us a view of 1941 that is unforgettable. He certainly did his homework as he quotes statistics and plays on the field in certain games as if they happened yesterday. He tends to repeat himself a bit and spends too much time on American history, but all in all a wonderful reminiscence of a great era.

As the jacket cover states: "1941 was the last original baseball season." Although I wasn't around to see 1941, this book made me feel like I was. Dom DiMaggio's perspective on this historic year is fabulous. I've read lots of baseball books about all the great players of the past and this one outshines them all. It's written with passion and "insiders knowledge" that makes the season itself seem like an all-too-perfect script. It's warm, engrossing, and highly dramatic, without being overly sentimental.

One of the best Center Fielders of his era tells the story of his brother and good friend's chases of the record books. He tells Joltin' Joe's story of the 56 game hitting streak like it was yesterday. The more poignant part of the book comes in the retelling of the forgotten heroes of that long ago summer. Pete Reiser and Johnny Vander Meer come to life. Mickey Owen and Hugh Casey's shamed moment is also retold with a tear in the reader's eye. This book tells the story of a recovering America right before another nightmare would crash over the country.

The author of "Real Grass, Real Heroes", Dom "The Little Professor" DiMaggio (For those of you who don't know about him: He was a terrific outfielder with the Red Sox from 1940-41, 46-53), looks back at the "good old times" (sometimes a little bit nostalgically) and the historic baseball season of 1941 which most of us haven't experienced personally. In this time teams still used to travel by trains, there were only 10 Major League teams in 16 cities, no astroturf, no expansion, no Division or League Championship Series, and baseball wasn't played just because of money but because of dedication and love for the game! He describes not only the love for his brothers (especially the more famous Joe who played for the Red Sox' arch enemies, the Yankees) and the game of baseball but also the feelings of people living on the eve of WWII. He also tells us about such unique historical things like the first baseball night game, Johnny Vander Merr's two consecutive no-hitters, the first televised MLB-game, Lou "Iron Horse" Gehrig's farewell and death, Lefty Grove's 300th win, the dramatic ninth All-Star Game, Joe DiMaggio's Major League record consecutive hitting streak of 56 games, Ted Williams hitting .406, the World Series (and the Mickey Owen game). But he also criticizes some conditions which the players of that time had to endure: many of them were under-paid bond man, e.g. This book also contains lots of small details about life in that time when radios were just becoming common and cars were still considered a luxury, that's why I think even somebody who doesn't like baseball will like this book! "Real Grass, Real Heroes" also features lots of autobiographical notes about Dom, great anecdotes about such heroes as Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Enos Slaughter,... ,and 41 great photos (mostly from the 1941 season)! He doesn't even forget the umpires (of which there were only two in each game at that time, by the way!).

In my opinion this book is very well written, sometimes funny, sometimes sad (just like life itself!) and exciting! Although it's non-fiction it isn't dry at all. The only thing I miss in this terrific book is an index because it's really hard to find some detail again without it! I think this book is good for anyone who wants to find about more about life just after the great depression and before WWII. It's great for all baseball-fans, and it just is a must-have for all Red Sox-fans (and especially for Dom DiMaggio-fans, like me!!!)!

The collaborative effort of Linda and Steve Bauer, "Recipes From Historic Louisiana" is a compilation of recipes drawn from the head chefs of forty-eight popular restaurants and dining establishments from Louisiana and ranging from Alexandria, through Evangeline Country, to venerable New Orleans. Embellished with fascinating stories combined with savory 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that can transform ordinary meals into culinary delights, "Recipes From Historic Louisiana" showcases dishes that range from Bronzed Stake with a Gingersnap Gravy (K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen); to Barbecue Rib-Eye (Dickie Brennan's Stakehouse); to Trout Meuniere Amandine (Galatoire's); to Gumbo Ya-Ya (Commander's Palace); to Spiced Butternut Squash Soup (Mabry House). For a 'kitchen cook friendly' collection of authentic Louisiana cuisine, add Linda and Steve Bauer's "Recipes From Historic Louisiana" to your cookbook shelf! Also very highly recommended is the Bauer's companion collection, "Recipes From Historic America: Cooking & Traveling With America's Finest Hotels".

Linda and Steve Bauer cooked up a big 'ole gumbo pot of the best of Louisiana cuisine. Their timing was a divine appointment as they may have unknowingly preserved precious cultural treasures in the wake of Katrina. Bravo!

This is one of the best cookbooks that I have ever bought It is full a great recipes and beautiful pictures. Linda and Steve Bauer had done an excellent job on this book.

Fara Raines

I recently received a couple of books, and Ms. Bauer's was in the stack. After I skimmed it, I called a friend and started talking about the recipes as well as New Orleans in general. An hour later I realized we were STILL talking about her cookbook!

Bottom Line: I consider Top Ramen a food group and I was enthralled. Anyone with even a slight interest in cooking or New Orleans will be extremely pleased with this offering.

New Orleans has always, until Hurricane Katrina, been first and foremost famous for its food and restaurants. Recipes from Historic Louisiana is a collection of 120 favorite dishes from chefs at 48 of Louisiana's most famous restaurants. The history, stories and 130 full-color beautiful photographs combine with the recipes to enable you to recreate this incredible cuisine at home. The book is interesting in of itself for its historical content and the recipes are great.

I served the Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bananas and Vanilla from G. W. Fins restaurant at a recent dinner party and received several requests for the recipe.

The authors present easy-to-follow instructions for all the famous Creole and Cajun dishes that will bring back fond memories of New Orleans for those familiar with the Crescent City. And even if you've never been there, you'll have a hard time trying to decide which recipe to try first.

Some of my favorite recipes from the book are Bananas Foster French Toast, Pesto Cheesecake, Slow Roasted Brisket, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bananas and Vanilla. If you've ever been to Louisiana, or are familiar with its cuisine, you'll love this book. I haven't been there in over 20 years and Recipes from Historic Louisiana was a real stroll down memory lane, in addition to being a cookbook that you'll want to have. The book is beautiful, the recipes are sublime, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the National Trust for Historic Preservation Hurricane Relief Fund.

I think this book touches peoples hearts. The author did a seriously good job of researching.

I read this book many, many years ago while in middle school (?) and I couldn't put it down. Having been from Oregon, I found the tail of the Sager family incredible, and the Oregon Trail has always intrigued me. I ended up reading the whole in book in two days because it was so great.

What I love about this book is it is historically accurate, gripping, and interesting to children. While it is not written with fantastic literary flourish, it is an engaging and amazing story. As a teacher, it fits with the fourth grade Washington curriculum perfectly and that is where I have used it. It sparks interest in readers (both young and old) about the Oregon Trail, history, and the Sager family.

The most famous book about the Sager family is probably "On to Oregon!" by Honore Morrow, on which the movie, "Seven Alone," is based. But "Stout-hearted Seven," is based on more thorough research and is more accurate. This is the one our fourth grade teachers usually read aloud as part of their curriculum on Washington State, and it's the title that most students will come into the library to check out and read again.

While there are many good fictional accounts about the Oregon Trail, this is the one I'd recommend first for upper elementary grades, simply because of its basis in actual events.

I'd also recommend visiting the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla, if for no other reason than to see the wagon wheel ruts and the Sager names on the gravestone. Our family did this a few years ago as part of a quick 5-day trip along the Oregon Trail, starting in Independence, Missouri. If we ever go again, I'd prefer to take at least two weeks.

I read this book recently and I absolutely loved it. It's the story of the Sager family, and their hardships and trials while on the Oregon Trail. I don't want to give the book away, but I must say that a tragic accident leaves the seven Sager children orphaned and in the care of the other members of their wagon train. The family now consists of 5 girls and 2 boys: John (13), Frank (11), Catherine (8), Elizabeth (6), Madeline (4), Louise (2), and Rosanna, only a newborn baby. They are adopted by the famous Dr. and Mrs. Whitman, where they live happily in their care for 3 years, until the tragic Whitman Massacre. That's where I'm going to stop, because if I tell you of the horrible things that happened there, I would ruin the entire story. Anyone who likes historical fiction, or even is just looking for a good book to read, I reccommend this book. So even if you don't buy it from Amazon or anywhere else, just get it from your local library, because this book is worth your while.

This book works on so many levels. Despite the rather dry-sounding title, it tells the story like a thriller novel. I found myself constantly trying to get to the next page to find out what happens next?? The book starts off with the frantic 2 week search for Nickel's body in the rubble of the old Stock Exchange building in 1972. Demolition is stopped while the building teeters on the verge of collapse in the heart of Chicago's business district. The book then flashes back and traces Nickel's career and his odyssey to save what he could of Sullivan's masterpieces as building after building after building was intentionally destroyed in the name of "progress". Along the way, the author weaves in tales of the history of some of the buildings, paints us pictures of the city and the politics of the time, and includes key characters such as Richard J. Daley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Leon Despres, Tim Samuelson, and others. There are tales of payoffs, double-dealing, and night time raids on old buildings. The book is meticulously researched, provides numerous quotes from Nickel's letters, other personal interviews, documents, and photos, none of which are extra baggage, but instead bring the story to life in a most touching way. The real heartbreaker of the book is that so little has changed since Nickel's death. Today, over 30 years later, nearly every week in Chicago, buildings designated as Chicago landmarks are torn down, or irreversibly altered, as Chicago continues to have exceptionally weak preservation ordinances. A building that would be considered the pride of a community in any other town, is ripped to shreds here without a second thought, if there is money to be made on the deal. If you are interested in Chicago architecture, the history of the preservation movement, Louis Sullivan, or Richard Nickel, this book is an essential.

I ate this book up! Nickel's photgraphs are outstanding, and his dedication to salvaging historical buildings is heroic. The historic preservation movement owes an enormous debt to this man.

Richard Nickels was a strange fellow, and I don't know if most people would be comfortable in his company. He desperately wanted to save what he considered to be Chicago's architectural landmarks, but in the end grew terribly disconsolate, finding few allies in Mayor Daley or others within the city's power structure. He managed to save many bits and pieces before the wrecker's ball arrived, some of which went to Southern Illinois University, but tons of which ended up in landfills after his death. Do you need this book? If it sickens you to see a beautiful old building torn down, then yes. If you read "Lost Chicago" and were amazed at the priceless treasures we've squandered, then yes. If you think the now burgeoning architectural salvage industry is a good thing, then yes. Nickels fought to save buildings, but when that failed, he saved everything he could. The book doesn't claim he was a pioneer or innovator in that regard, but then I haven't heard of anyone else who dedicated their life to the field. The Trading Room from the Stock Exchange Building - where Nickel's died - survives in the Art Institute of Chicago today only because of his efforts. We almost certainly owe him a far greater debt than the book has claimed, since he helped to publicize the threat to our architectural heritage and started building a consensus towards preservation and salvage. The book will amaze and annoy you. You'll learn much more about Nickels' personal life than you would want to know. You'll wish he had finished some of the writing projects he started. And you'll wonder how much more he might have accomplished if he had lived a bit longer. It's a book that makes you think, and one you won't soon forget. - tjm

The story of Richard Nickel, who loved buildings of Adler & Sullivan fame. A wonderfully well-written book. I saw it in the library, and to my own amazement, could not put it down when I got home. Even if you know little about archetecture, you will love this book for it's story, the life and love of Nickel. Who I call with slight tongue-in-cheek a nerd.

I ate this book up! Nickel's photgraphs are outstanding, and his dedication to salvaging historical buildings is heroic. The historic preservation movement owes an enormous debt to this man.

This book is a must for New Yorkers who want to learn more about their city and for out-of-towners visiting New York. The text, photographs, and maps are outstanding.

I adore the lower part of Midtown (under 34th St.) and this book is what I was looking for. Quick, concise but at the same time rich and precious is a work that covers comprehensively some of the most fascinating Manhattan's neighbourhoods. From the elegant Gramercy Park to the fashionable Chelsea, Touring the Flatiron is an amazing experience either for the native either for the visitor.

The research is impecable. The photographs are fabulous and the book is very easy to follow, whether you are walking the neighborhoods with it or sitting on your couch. Rarely do tour books include original research as well as challenge prior thought, as this one has. This is an indespensible guide for anyone interested in the history of New York and/or the history of the architechure of cities.

This author is incredibly well known in NYC as a city historian and has a supreme knowledge about the area. The book is organized in a logical manner and the photographs are excellent as well as interesting. A must have for anyone planing to tour, or live in lower manhattan. makes a great gift/Housewarming present! I look forward to her next book about the lower east side. I hear the photo research for that is amazing as well.

My grandma worked really hard on this book,and it is very good. The pictures are wonderful and it is very interesting with tons of facts and stories.

Published to accompany the exhibition "Unknown Territory: The Landscape of Andrew Wyeth" organised by the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1998, following the introduction two essays discusses the critical appraisal of the artist, his approach to his work and his painting methods; the easy are illustrated throughout in colour and black and white. The catalogue of work runs from pages 51 to 199. The book concludes with a further essay which includes a number of comments by the artist. There is also a list of works included in the exhibition but no bibliography.

In total there are approaching 200 illustrations, with the vast majority being in full colour, although the restrained nature of Wyeth's palette does not make this immediately apparent even in the main section of plates. The landscape format of the book accommodates well the predominantly similarly proportioned paintings and drawings, however sometimes the image is reproduced rather small relative to the page size.

A very useful publication which well demonstrates the range of the artist's output even with the designation of landscape.

If this were a hardbound edition (it may exist?) it would sell for an expensive price. The color plates, index and footnotes are exquisitely designed and printed in this softbound catalog edition. Anecdotes are plentiful, critical examination controversial, but this catalog of Wyeth's work is beautifully presented and great fun to examine. The words of critics are always oddly out of place and hard to swallow and fortunately there aren't many critic's editorials contained here. It's the dozens and dozens of paintings that are in this book-exquisite! As many of A.W.'s pieces were of a comparatively large dimension-as far as water-based works go, the plates do not capture the spatial and color phenomena of these paintings, but this is as good as it gets-next to a visit to a museum to view them "live!" One would be hard-pressed to find this many unpublished, heretofore unexhibited Wyeth pieces under one roof! A very enjoyable publication!

A collection containing a number of stunning watercolors loosely executed, rarely included in a book of Wyeth's works. Also includes many of his more labored tempera paintings.

The staff of the Whitney Museum for a 1998 Wyeth exhibition compiled this beautifully printed and bound book. The stock is heavy and glossy and the colors sharp and clear. Many watercolors included have not been publicly seen for years, as many private collectors contributed their paintings for this exhibition. The dates of the compositions range from the early 30's through the late 90's.

The two most recognized American artists of the 20th Century are Andys-Wyeth and Warhol, and they have more in common than their initials. Both are controversial and neither is as "realistic" as accused and/or categorized.

My enjoyment of Andrew Wyeth was never diminished by the fact that I had a lot of company. Popularity does not necessarily mean inferiority in spite of what the self-consuming art world tells us. True, you have to have a certain fondness for bleak settings to properly take pleasure in most of the paintings. I often idly wondered if Wyeth ever painted landscapes in spring or summer and why he was so enamored of bare earth and beige and brown compositions. I have never seen as many abstracts as are contained in this book.

The essays in the book are interesting, but not so prevalent as to overshadow the marvelous prints. My only complaint is the book is an unhandy shape, longer than it is tall, making it difficult to shelve. However, this is minor. Many hours of viewing pleasure are in store.

When you view the work of an artist, who is to be the arbiter of what, in this case the painting is about, what it means? Do you turn to the Professional Art Critic, Art History Majors, you the viewer, or the man or woman who created the work? In this case the Artist is well and painting, and his thoughts about his work are many and well documented.

This book on the paintings of Andrew Wyeth focuses primarily on the media of watercolor and drybrush as opposed to the egg tempera paintings that are the medium for so many of his most famous works. Mr. Wyeth takes up to 6 months for a tempera work, and completes as few as 2-4 a year. The images in this book are produced by the hundreds, and over his career amount to literally thousands of images. This book discusses and publishes many images that have never been publicly shown, and uses this body of work to advance various ideas.

The book is a valuable addition to those who are admirers of his work, the opinions that are expressed by people other than the artist, are either critical to the book on one extreme, or mostly ridiculous from where I sit.

Andrew Wyeth has been a target for the self-proclaimed tastemakers of Art for one reason; his art is widely admired, collected, and highly valued. These elements automatically qualify him for criticism that is so absurd; it adds a comedic aspect to the text. Then there are those who do love his work but feel they must demonstrate that, yes, he is what the critics say he is not, and even more!

The text did help me understand more about the method by which Mr. Wyeth creates these works, and the role they sometimes play in a major tempera piece. I loved his work before this book, and will continue to regardless of what "they" have to say. The only individual whose comments matter are Mr. Wyeth's. His thoughts are documented; I don't see the need for others to presume they know better than he what he paints, and what his intent was when he created the work.

The book is great for the new images it brings to the public. Everything about the construction of the book is as good as you will find in a commercial publication, and the color plates are excellent. As to the text, that is left for you to decide, I am placing the stars above for the Artist and his work, not for what others have to say about it.

I was really excited when I received this book. It's gorgeous and the pictures are beautiful. I was planning a trip to LA and this book served as a huge resource for me. When I got to LA though, more than a few of the places in the book were no longer in business and I went to LA barely 2 months after this book came out. Plus, some of the places she did describe were really hyped up and were a waste of time. This was very disapointing. If the author grew up somewhere and is going to write abook about it, you can't just assume the places are still there. You have to do your research. Hopefully, Vintage New York will be more informative.

Vintage L.A. is like a magical treasure trove - filled with historic gems from Tinseltown past, endearing & insightful interviews with sparkling locals, dazzling photographs and endless riches to behold! It is apparent that the author, Jennifer Brandt-Taylor, is a true fan of Hollywood history and the City of Angels. She takes the reader on a whimsical "insider" tour, with many surprise stops along the way. Jennifer Brandt-Taylor does a wonderful job at inspiring the reader to look closer, to find divinely decadent inspiration in something that most pedestrians would pass by without a glance. I read this book in one sitting, and then placed it on my art-deco bookshelf alongside other favorites, "Eve's Hollywood" and "Weetzie Bat." I will make sure to leave enough room on that shelf for Jennifer Brandt-Taylor's next book...

Knowing a good deal about book design and something about near-history, I can say that this book is a perfect package. From the gorgeous full-color pages saturated with great photography and vintage postcards to the colorful language used to illustrate this opulent city of dreams, Vintage LA is the magnum opus to Los Angeles. Anyone I know who has read this book recalls sitting down in the evening to crack the spine, and a few hours later they were finished, and ready to buy plane tickets to LA. It's a beautiful book!

This book covers just about everything I like about LA -- the good old-timey stuff! It's beautifully photographed, typeset and laid out from cover to cover, looking and reading like a Disneyland brochure from the '60s. The author leads you to historic walking & shopping destinations in every neighborhood in and around LA, with a special focus on all things glam and baroque. The photos are spectacular and the descriptions are fun, first-person, non-snooty and truly evocative of the wonder of visiting these groovy underappreciated relics. You'll want to visit each and every spot, and the more of them you experience, the more your view of LA will change from the unfair stereotype of a dumb, violent, smoggy wasteland to a true love of this lovely, historic fantasyland left behind by dreamers of the past.

Hats off to Jennifer Brandt-Taylor, the vintage queen! Her new book VINTAGE L.A. is a well-crafted homage to the delightful assortment of styles and flavors which comprise the identity of Los Angeles.

It is an extremely well balanced and thoughtfully compiled collection of reviews, photos, tidbits of trivia, and other ephemera which sparked my interest in revisiting the town in which I live.

Collecting vintage is one of my true passions. Finer men's attire of bygone eras is my own calling, so when Jennifer referred to the boutique Playclothes I was obliged to investigate. What a treat! I left with 2 deadstock silk scarves from the Edwardian era and some other treasures for well below market value. Thanks, Jennifer!

The love which the author has for her hometown is apparent in her features of the magical haunts and classic splendor of old Hollywood. Two of my absolute favorite places to soak up some genuine Tinseltown are the Magic Castle and the Beverly Hills Hotel. Hands down the finest establishments in which to imbibe.

It was a true inspiration flipping through the expertly layed out pages. My eyes were led along from page to page as if a kid in a candy store had been turned loose on a shopping spree. A plethora of colors and styles was arranged like a bouquet, enticing the reader to dive in and experience the finest this American epicenter of culture has to offer.

One thing I absolutely loved was her interspersed features of vintage lovers from all walks of fame in their respective environments. Catching a glimpse of how these zany characters live and reading their own reflections on the things which keep them inspired was a fascinating allusion to the eclecticism of Los Angeles.

If at all you are interested in planning a trip to Los Angeles, please do yourself a favor and let Jennifer Brandt-Taylor be your guide to the stars!

I have been extremely pleased with the content of this book and the way the information is presented. Little attention has been given to North American historians to the "plains wagon", the mode of transport for thousands and thousands of pioneers, as well as hundreds of tons of goods, across the wide, forboding western frontier of north American in from the 1820s thru the 1880s. The fact that not a single Murphy wagon is still in existance anywhere, when so many were made and it is such a famed wagon, points to the disregard the public and historians have shown for this important implement of the American west. The author does a great job, given the sparce available resources, of reconstructing both the history and the virtual views of these varied wagons. Many companies made the wagons, from different towns across the east, from Missouri to Illinois and beyond, and it was a monumental task to assemble information on such a little known subject, but the author excelled in his history, and presentation. His writing is clear and precise, and a pleasure to read. This volume will stay in my reference library for the remainder of my life, as it is priceless, and enjoyable. I am sure I will go back to it and refer to it many times in years to come.

This is an excellent, well researched work, a great companion to Dary's The Santa Fe Trail. It provides detailed drawings of the wagons, their construction and how they were used. There is even a chapter on Wind Wagon Thomas.

"Mark Gardner, who is one of the foremost trail historians of our day, an eminent researcher, and an excellent writer, has now entered the ranks of vehicle historians trying to make some sense out of transport history and the vehicles involved therein. This contribution to both historical trail documentation and the vehicle bibliography as well is superb. No serious scholar involved in either discipline can ignore this book." -- from The Carriage Journal

Among the abundance of literature on various aspects of Santa Fe Trail history, Mark Gardner's _Wagons for the Santa Fe Trade_ begins a new dialog about the development and variance of Trade-related wagon technology. The book documents advances in wagon building techniques as the Trade became more complex and sophisticated. The story of Santa Fe Trail wagon making is the story of the growth and changes in the development of wheeled vehicles designed for heavy-duty long range freighting. The Santa Fe Trade was a primary proving ground for freight wagon building and adaptability. This book grew out of a National Park Service report Gardner prepared on Santa Fe Trail wagons intended for use as a resource for the Santa Fe National Historic Trail project. This version is greatly expanded from the original. From the outset it will become obvious to readers how much painstaking work and time went into its production. During the course of his research he discovered a personal side to the story. His chapter "From Shop to Factory" allowed him to connect with the wagon building business through four generations of his own ancestors, some of whom had worked in the Missouri sawmill industry, and had probably cut lumber intended for the construction of the very freight wagons he now writes about. Gardner has a reputation in the profession for sifting through mounds of paper and microfilm, uncovering lost treasures of material. This reviewer has respectfully nicknamed him "The Mole" because of his research skills. His ability to dig and root through archive and manuscript collections and find the most obscure and previously unknown, yet meaningful bits of information has earned him a place among the great names in today's western historiography. With many books and articles to his credit, Mark Gardner is arguably one of the foremost authorities on the Santa Fe Trade. This latest effort guarantees Gardner's place as heir apparent to the title of Dean of Santa Fe Trail historians. _Wagons for the Santa Fe Trade_ is a detailed, yet coherent guide to nineteenth century freight vehicles. It is a highly beneficial research tool, as well as a pleasant recreational read.

Henry B. Crawford, Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Perhaps the trade in wagons on the Santa Fe Trail is best summarized in one breathtaking quote from a newspaper in 1841:

"Six horse wagons are constructed in Pittsburg, loaded with assorted goods from New York and Philadelphia, transported to Independence in Missouri, and there driven across the country to Mexico . . ."

The great wagons of trade were the means by which the Far West was opened. Mark L. Gardner's "Wagons for the Santa Fe Trade," tells who built these wagons, how they were built and the changes in design as the years passed. Perhaps what comes through most clearly is that the great freight wagons were complex pieces of technology, best constructed by a factory system, not unlike how automobiles are assembled today. By means of these wagons, the South West was brought into contact with the United States, and, eventually, absorbed into the Union. An important and vital chapter of American history well told and well documented.

The final chapter deals with the adventure of the Wind Wagon. In these days of high gas prices it is charming to consider that an attempt was made to avoid high mule prices. A sailed wagon was actually patented (the patent drawings are in the book) and launched. Sometimes the stuff of legend is the truth.