Customer Reviews

Albuquerque Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
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I love reading Albuquerque history from many different sources, and I love "then" and "now" photos, and I also love reading the books that Mo Palmer recommended to my son when she was his history teacher. Well this perfect storm of affections converged this past month when my son gave me Mo Palmer's "Albuquerque Then and Now" for Christmas. This is not just another collection of stories from Albuquerque's past. Many stories tend to get repeated from one book to the next - the story of the Alvarado hotel, the early tuberculosis clinics, the early schools and UNM's early days, the Sear's fire, and so on. When you read Miss Palmer's book it would appear that it did not occur to her that she needs to cover that territory for you. It is very fresh, most of the "then" photographs were new to me, and the commentary was very enlightening to me. Much of the discussion focuses on the early communities and what they were like. I hope she will publish again soon.

As anyone who reads her history columns in the Albuquerque Tribune knows, Mo Palmer knows Albuquerque's history. Now, here, at last, is a book she's written on the subject, a book that probably no one else anywhere was as qualified to write.
In addition to being an area history columnist, Mo Palmer has been a photo archivist for the Museum of Albuquerque, and here, in "Albuquerque: Then and Now" she draws from all of her knowledge to create a truly valuable portrait of Albuquerque, then and now.
Every one of this book's even-numbered page features an amazing old historic photo of a notable Albuquerque landmark, and every odd-numbered page features that same landmark (or whatever took its place) today. And all of the photos are captioned with interesting and concisely written information.
Any Albuquerque area resident willing to pick up this book and take the time to flip through it will be sure to find the experience transformative and enlightening. It will amaze you just how much of Albquerque's architectural history has remained behind, and sadden you just how much some things have changed.
Buy it, read it, keep it for yourself as reference and a reminder, or give it as a gift to friends in the Albuquerque area, or to friends who you want to have visit you here.

This is the type of book that you can read when you just have a few moments, but it kept me turning the pages longer. Mo Palmer (norelation) really chose some great sites for the then and now photos. The "now" photographs are taken from near same perspective as the "then" shots so it is easier to envision the changes. The text is also revealing, in some cases telling me stories the photo misses. If you are from New Mexico, this is a rich history book, well-worth the price of admission into it's fascinating pages.

We got this as a gift for my father-in-law. He grew up in Albs and loves history so this Christmas gift was a real winner with him.

I grew up in Albuquerque from the 1950's to the 1990's. I went back this year for my 40th high school reunion and was surprised at all the changes in the last 10-15 years. When I found this book shortly thereafter, I was thrilled. Every page was a step back to things that I remember from my life there. The much earlier photos were wonderful because they showed what was there before my memories. Then I could insert my memories and the book showed me what is there now. The early history of some buildings and locations is fascinating. The disappointment in reading this book is that the authors do not identify the exact location of each photo. From the photo captions we get a general idea of what location is pictured but it would be so much better if we were told "this is the intersection of 4th and Gold SW" or "this is looking east from Carlisle and Central." Not having the ability to figure out exactly where many of the photos are removed a big piece of the pleasure for me. Despite that, this is a interesting book that brought back lots of memories.

The publishers of this book happened onto a neat concept, then started phoning it in to add more cities and make more money. The photos just aren't that interesting.