New Jersey Books

"I never should have left Paterson," comedian Lou Costello said in 1951's "Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man." In fact, Paterson has been a place of comings and goings for generations, yet still manages to pull at the heartstrings.

Larry Doby, who broke the color barrier in the American league, called it home. Among the many notables born in the "Silk City" were shuttle astronaut Kathryn Sullivan and actress Sue Ann Langdon, who played Alice Kramden in the 1962 version of "The Jackie Gleason Show." What's more, this city -- an industrial giant once envisioned by Alexander Hamilton -- gave birth to the famed Colt revolver, the modern-day submarine, the locomotives that linked America's coasts and the engine that powered Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis." Its Danforth Library is a work of art in itself, designed by architect Henry Bacon, who went on to create Washington D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial in its image. Today, it houses an art collection -- much of it the family legacy of Paterson's own Garret Hobart, vice president under McKinley -- that could earn it the name "Paterson's Louvre."

There is also no shortage of local lore. The Ghosts of Eastside High School didn`t get that moniker by accident. The school sits on a one-time cemetery. And yes, Lou Costello couldn't stay away, coming back for premiers at The Fabian.

Philip M. Read, the great-grandson of a Paterson silk weaver whose family like so many others emigrated from Macclesfield, England, is a graduate of Boston University and long-time journalist who has worked for several New Jersey newspapers. His first job, in fact, was at the old Paterson News. Join him in this eye-opening and appreciative look back, mindful of what was and what still might be.

George Tice continues his visual exploration of New Jersey urban living with these ninety-nine photos. As with his previous books: Paterson and Urban Landscapes he still manages to see and take amazing photos of the ordinary and everday in his home state, though he did say in his Statement in the 1975 Urban Landscapes that he made five trips to Camden but found it too depressing! Luckily Paterson lives up to his expectations and there are several stunning street scenes here that I think are some of his best work.

'Market & Cianci Streets, September 2003' on page sixty-nine is typical I think. A corner shot with shops, apartments above, commercial signage, parked cars, street furniture and some people frozen at exposure time with shadows creating dimension and depth. A similar photo is 'Main & Market Streets, October 2000', both images are full of detail and texture and pull you into the frame.

Of the ninety-nine photos twelve are called Early Work 1967-1971 with the remainder from 2000 to 2005. There are three spreads of street scene shots, taken with a 35mm camera, with three stacked photos on each page, all the others are whole pages and taken with an 8&10 view camera which explains the rich detail.

I think it is worth commenting on the book's production because, in this case, it really is a plus for the images. The photos are printed in six hundred line screen which really is on the cutting edge of what is possible on a printing press. Most photo books in my collection vary between 175 and 250 but the publisher no doubt thought that to capture the detail in these photos it was worth the extra effort and this obviously required a better paper, too (200gsm Hello Silk). The end result, I feel, is not far short of looking at an original print.

George Tice's photos and the amazing production quality of Paterson II lift this book way above the ordinary and I think thanks should go to James Mairs, publisher of the Quantuck Lane Press for having the vision to produce such a beautiful book.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

This book is a wonderful insight to the people and an area of the country that most do not realize exists. I thoroughly enjoyed Bob's first book "Seasons of the Pines" and was thrilled to get to see a part of the country that people in general do not associate with New Jersey. His eye for photography and the shots he takes are refreshing from other "picture books". He has gone one giant leap forward with his new book. The pictures are again bold and insightful but to learn about the people of this area was interesting and again appreciated. You can see in the pictures and the writings that this area is well known by him and an area that is close to his heart. It is wonderful to find authors/photographers who know their subject so well and at the same time relate that knowledge to the readers in a colorful and informative format so that the reader can find a deeper appreciation as well.

This is very inspiring and enjoyable for all ages!

If you love Long Beach Island, and its elevation from barren sandbar to a coastal resort , then this book will have you in awe. Through photographic images and postcard views, you are actually transported to the edwardian beginnings and essentially every single step along the way to present day. Having grown up in Beach Haven, I thought i had already seen most of the available information. This book brought clarity to long held stories, solved some mysteries, and answered alot of questions. Kudos to Glenn Koch for assembling such a wonderful collecton of historical information and having the foresight to share this work with future generations.
I have purchased copies for everyone in my family for the holidays and i am sure they will be just as excited about this volume as i am.

If you are researching a family that originated with the 17th and 18th century Dutch colonies in America, please do not miss this book.

This is one of the richest regional background sources for genealogical research available. Bailey did a wonderful thing in preserving on paper the house histories of the areas mentioned in the title. Too many of these houses are forever gone. Just as wonderfully, she researched and wrote family histories of the people who owned and occupied the houses.

As a professional genealogist, as well as an architectural historian, she used primary sources, such as wills and deeds, as well as secondary sources, like local histories and biographies, to document the lives of each house's owners and residents. As a clear and clever writer, she made what can be a dry topic readable and enjoyable.

This is a great source for beginning genealogy of pre 1776 Dutch inhabitants of New York and New Jersey. Contains many great 1936 era photos of Dutch houses.

Noll explains how the search for a relationship between faith and science, as well as contemporary politics, ultimately was the relationship that spawned over a hundred and fifty years of antagonism between Christianity and the academy, or learning. In a sense, Christianity was forced to look at itself and ask if its core tenets were not subject to challenge. A great book! It is worth the read. It'll award you tremendously.

This book was a great read. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone interested in the history of chiropractic.

The review was pure nostalgia for me it brought back emeories of when I was growing up in Montclair NJ. I was interested to learn of the extent of the Trolley lines in and out of the town but there was not much of a follow up on the busses that suplimented the trolley lines. Recently at the garage on Lake St in Newark the roof caved in in the rear section but no effort was made to rescue the refurbished Yellow Coach circa 1937 from the bulding. I believe that the coach was allowed ot be destroyed when the bulding was torn down.