Turner Books

I've spent a majority of my life not too far west of Charlotte, North Carolina, but I never really knew much about the big city itself. When I was a kid, we could never manage to get the Charlotte stations to come in perfectly clear with our antenna, but we weren't about to miss Fred Kirby & Uncle Jim, the Gospel Jubilee every Sunday morning, and - for my mother, at least - Betty Feezor's cooking show. Beyond television, I saw Charlotte as an obstacle between home and parts east of the Queen City (Charlotte was named for the wife of King George III). As an adult, I still don't know a lot about the city because Charlotte traffic can be a nightmare, leaving me perfectly happy to cruise through the city on I-85 rather than tackle its busy streets. Nowadays, of course, Charlotte is an important and well-known city, the banking capital of the South, the home of several professional sports teams, and of course the very heart of NASCAR. Clearly, the Queen City has a story to tell, even to those of us born and raised in the North Carolina Piedmont.

In this gorgeous coffee table book, Historic Photos of Charlotte, Ryan L. Sumner takes you through the progression of the city from its humble origins to its modern-day glory, using over two hundred carefully researched, vintage black and white photos (many of them never seen before by anyone but archivists). These vivid snapshots of history offer a fascinating look at the many changes Charlotte has seen over the course of its history - economically, culturally, technologically, etc. You'll see important people and places in Charlotte's history, as well as a number of perspective shots looking down various streets as they evolved over time. Informative captions help place each photograph in its proper historical context.

The book is divided into four main sections. The first one features historical photos from the late nineteenth century, when Charlotte was in its infancy. The city didn't really start booming until the years following the War Between the States, when its location made it a perfect hub for the burgeoning industrialization finally taking root in the South. With financial stalwarts like D.A. Tompkins leading the way, this central stop on the Southern Railway between Washington, D.C. and New Orleans became the center of a booming business in textile manufacturing during the second era covered in this book (roughly 1900-1920). The next historical era, 1920-1950, was one of great ups and downs. Profits from the textile industry led to the creation of large banks (and, because North Carolina was one of the few states allowing for the creation of statewide banks at that time, those that survived the Great Depression helped make Charlotte the prominent banking center that it is today). The advent of the automobile also played a huge part in the city's development. As Model T's and Model A's rolled out of Charlotte-based factories, new businesses were formed to support the nascent auto industry, and streetcars gradually yielded way to buses as the primary means of transportation. Additionally, a number of speed records were set on the 40 degree banks of the original Charlotte Speedway in the mid-1920s. The Great Depression hit Charlotte hard, but the city eventually rebounded, with New Deal programs helping to build such important infrastructure as Charlotte Memorial Hospital. Finally, the book takes a look at Charlotte after 1950.

My personal favorite picture in this collection features a class at the Charlotte Open Air School, with the kids all bundled up in winter coats, toboggans, etc. The caption informs us that this unusual school was an experimental one, intended to test the 1920s belief by some that cold air was beneficial for students. I think we can safely assume that this belief was proven wrong pretty quickly, as these poor kids look like they're freezing to death in the picture.

At over two hundred pages, Historic Photos of Charlotte opens quite a wondrous historical window into the past of this Southern jewel. The book really brings home the incredible pace at which the city has developed, adapting over time to grow stronger every year. Most Charlotteans won't even recognize many of the historical views down prominent streets of yesteryear, while many of the city's most beautiful historic buildings can be seen only here, having fallen victim to fires or wrecking balls over the intervening years. Anyone with a personal interest in Charlotte - especially those who have migrated to the Queen City during the last few decades - or any interest in Southern industrialization and history should find Historic Photos of Charlotte to be a most welcome addition to his/her library or, even more appropriately, coffee table.

I have visited Los Angeles a few times, mostly driving through, but more recently spending time exploring. It's a sprawling city known for freeways and traffic, but a closer look reveals much more. Dana Lombardy gives historical perspective to L.A., amalgamating seemingly random black and white photos from the 1920s-1960s. It's a quick read of mostly captions, but they give perspective to otherwise fascinating images of a time when L.A. was finding its place in the U.S. consciousness. A must have for L.A. historians.

Dwight David Eisenhower probably was lauded a bit too much as the symbol of the Allied victory in World War II, but he was the Supreme Commander, after all. The inevitable name-calling he received from the press as a Republican President was unjustified as has been his casual dismissal for the fist few decades he was out of office. There have been some positive revisions of his history in recent years and I welcome them.

Eisenhower wasn't a fierce warrior in the way Patton or other battle commanders were, but battles cannot be won without logistics, supplies, and well-handled politics. In these Eisenhower ended up being the right man in history to lead the Allies to a complicated, but decisive victory in Europe during World War II. As President he helped America finish its recovery from World War II and the rebuilding of Europe. He was also able to handle the Cold War without a massive arms race that subsequent Presidents initiated.

This book covers his life in pictures from his boyhood in Kansas through his military career, Presidency, family life, and funeral. Dana Lombardy has provided page long introductions to the four sections of the book and the captions to the couple of hundred pictures. The four sections are his youth to 1932, his military career from 1932 through 1945, his life after the war and his Presidency 1946 through 1961, and his life after the Presidency 1961-1969.

This is a great way to take a look at the life of a great figure of the 20th Century and one of our two-term Presidents. Nicely done and recommended for all students of American History. It can provide a pictorial supplement to other books on Eisenhower's life that provide his life in prose with only a few pictures.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Long before Disney World, Florida was the home of the tourist attraction. It was a state that worked hard to draw visitors and, as it grew in population, give its new residents novel things worth driving to see. This book is full of these wonderful venues, most of which are long gone from our modern and far more homogenized world.

Steve Rajtar brings a similar experience to editing this book. He grew up around Cleveland, Ohio, but came to Florida to get multiple college degrees and the place grew on him, so he stayed. He has laid out 150 historical tour routes so you can drive through Florida and see the cool, the strange, the odd, natural wonders, and historic places. Rajtar had written 13 books before this one. I enjoyed his selection of photos, his captions for them, and his concise chapter introductions.

This book isn't divided in to chapters based on time periods. Instead, the photos are organized by county with as few as one photo for Citrus County, for example, while there are more than 20 for Miami-Dade as you might expect. While there are many based on `mermaids', dolphins, alligators, water-skiing, there is also a wide range of the unexpected such as Pioneer City with its old west theme. There are snake shows and natural caverns with amazing stalactites and stalagmites. You can see attractions based on sea shells, strange plants, trees, and sunken treasure. The attractions based on genuine historical item and Indian culture is set cheek by jowl with Tiki Gardens and Webb's City the `world's most unusual drug store' where you could see all kinds of strange acts including tight rope walking roosters.

While the book is clearly based on Florida attractions it speaks to a period in American culture where these oddities seemed to make sense and were attractive to millions of our fellow citizens.

Great stuff.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

My parents, who grew up as very poor children in the teeth of the Great Depression, held FDR in high regard. However, they did not share in the general worship of FDR by some of their friends. For my parents' friends FDR was more than a President, even more than a Hero. He was a kind of savior to them who inspired them, provided work to their fathers, and provided food that they were often ashamed to eat. My parents recognized the leadership FDR showed, and were grateful for some of the programs, but the idea that the government could provide everything for everybody seemed absurd to them.

As I grew up and read and began formulating my own ideas, I began to question the orthodox view of FDR held of these friends. I remember at one gathering of my parents' friends, a couple of us teenagers brought up some views that questioned the view of FDR as the savior of the nation. Wow, what a reaction! (Again, not from my parents, but their friends.) Later in life I met families for whom FDR was an unalloyed devil and if you had anything remotely positive to say about FDR it generated a similarly explosive reaction. Interesting stuff.

Regardless of your views of FDR, there is no question that he was the most influential president of the 20th century, even more than Reagan whose dominance seems so great because he was more recent. This very interesting volume provides a couple of hundred photographs of FDR from his boyhood through his funeral. I enjoyed the way the book did not center on his three and a part terms as president, but gave us many photographs that are not commonly seen. It is the private man we see here even more than the man in office (though there are plenty of those, too). They are printed in large format and allow the reader to linger over them and notice very interesting detail.

As usual in this fine series from Turner Publishing, the captions add valuable information about the photograph and the few pages of information that form chapter headings add just enough helpful information without getting in the way of the photographs.

This is an especially nice addition to the library of anyone interested in FDR, American presidents, or general American history.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

tyhis book by far is seth bramsons best work,i value it as my favorite book,thanks mr. bramson.Dino the carpenter in miami.

I grew up in Houston and still visit often. I am so pleased that this book
was put togrther. I wish my parents were alive and could go over each page with me. Wonderful memories.

This book, which is part of Turner Publishing's "Historic Photos of..." series, is a beautiful, oversized (10"x10") pictorial account of the Jersey Shore, from Asbury (made famous by Bruce Springsteen) to Atlantic City. "The Shore," as it is known by New Jersey natives, has experienced its ups and downs over the years, and there is a constant struggle with issues such as weather and tourism. This book provides a chronological overview, beginning with the late 1880s, when the first beach patrols appeared, to the late 1970s.

Each of the four chapters opens with a brief text overview of that era, but the main body of the book consists of the amazing photos. Just over 200 photographs are included, each one featured on its own page and accompanied by a concise yet detailed description providing further glimpses into that period. The chapters fully capture the zeitgeist of the times, including the impact of both World Wars and various storms. Atlantic City is featured prominently throughout, showcasing how it became famous through increased tourism, the legalization of gambling, and the creation of Monopoly (1933). Finally, the last chapter highlights some of the beautiful Shore homes that have been preserved in the area.

Overall, this is an excellent coffee table book, one that you will actually want to pick up and look through again and again. As a South Jersey native, I greatly enjoyed exploring the history of The Shore as presented here.

Jeff Burbank is a journalist and writer about Las Vegas and teaches in the English Department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Here he has selected about 200 photographs showing the rise of Las Vegas from a mere railroad stop in 1904 to the booming city of lights it had become by 1969. As in all these Historic Photos of series, these are all large format black and white photos. Burbank provides interesting and informative chapter introductions and captions for the photos.

The book shows us the photos in four periods. The first shows us the rise from railstop to boomtown 1904-1910 and is quite fascinating. The second is "Molding a Desert Community" before the Hoover Dam 1911-1929.

The third chapter takes us through the building of Hoover Dam during the Great Depression and how World War II requiring large numbers of soldiers to pass through Las Vegas by train and the vast amounts electricity provided by the Hoover Dam changed the town.

The last chapter takes us through the early years of the Las Vegas we would recognize, with the brilliant lights, casinos, and the elaborate shows with the show girls. The period covered in the book takes us from 1950-1969. Obviously, Las Vegas has changed utterly since then, but the book is historic photos after all.

Fascinating stuff.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Compiled by Carol Ellis and Scotty E. Kirkland, this newly released photographic essay of Mobile introduces different eras in the city's long and torrid history. From the beginning section, "New South City" to the final chapter, "From Opportunity to Stagnation", the book unveils in pictures and text many episodes of historical changes in the city since the late nineteenth century. A reader is transported back in time to witness events that changed the landscape of Mobile, from a major fire in May 1865 that leveled eight blocks of the city and killed over 300 people to the aftermath of Hurricane Frederick in September 1979. Pictures reveal the prosperous times of Mobile, and the more dire times, the one-time elegance of downtown, to the ghost of a city in later years. What would it have been like to live in Mobile when it was a thriving town? Or during the Civil War? Or World War II? As the saying goes, "Mobile is the city of perpetual potential". This book is an endorsement of that quote, providing perspective throughout the trials and celebrations of historic Mobile. When Mobile has come so close to prominence in the past, fate would have otherwise. This is definitely a book to proudly display on your coffee table to inspire conversation and reminisce on nostalgia of years past. --- Bluedogmobile.livejournal.com