Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $0.88 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
American Diner Then and Now
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

American Diner Then and Now [Paperback]

Richard J. S. Gutman (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

List Price: $30.00
Price: $24.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.01 (17%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Only 20 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want it delivered Monday, January 30? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Paperback $24.99  

Book Description

October 13, 2000

From the first diner in 1872 to the "rediscovery" of diners in the 1990s, Richard J. S. Gutman's American Diner Then and Now covers the history, architecture, menus, and the appeal of this uniquely American creation. With 275 photographs in color and black and white, this book is the landmark work on its subject, a revised and expanded edition of Gutman's classic American Diner—the book, published in 1979, that inspired people to buy, restore, and reopen diners across the country. This edition includes a state-by-state directory, "Where the Diners Are," listing locations for currently operating diners.


Frequently Bought Together

American Diner Then and Now + Diners + Diners: People and Places
Price For All Three: $59.89

Show availability and shipping details

Buy the selected items together
  • In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Diners $16.95

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Diners: People and Places $17.95

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

Review

The next time you eat in a diner, thank Richard J. S. Gutman for the experience.

(Wall Street Journal )

Stuffed with facts and photos, including pictures of old menus, advertising and blueprints. Two directories in the back provide information on diner manufacturers and list, state by state, 1,400 operating diners.

(Chicago Tribune )

A great guide.

(Los Angeles Times )

Diners are quintessential Americana, and Mr. Gutman offers a comprehensive view from their humble beginning to their heyday, decline, and revival.

(Baltimore Sun )

The Bible, the Torah, and the Koran of diner lore, all in one handy volume.

(Hartford Courant )

A welcome revised and expanded edition of Richard Gutman's now classic American Diner..

(SCA Journal )

Beautifully illustrated, generously designed, and very well written.

(The Flying Lady )

Book Description

A tour de force of American diners, including a comprehensive list of diners across the country


Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (October 13, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0801865360
  • ISBN-13: 978-0801865367
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars 4.9 stars, December 10, 2000
This review is from: American Diner Then and Now (Paperback)
This is actually the third edition of this work. In 1979, Gutman took the plunge with the simply titled "American Diner" published in hardback by Harper & Row. Done in collaboration with Elliott Kaufman and David Slovic, it was shorter and more loosely organized than the later edition, but a nice and welcome diner book at a time when there still weren't many such books around. In 1993 Gutman came out with "American Diner, Then and Now" which sported revised and substantially enlarged text and better-integrated photos (the Kaufman photo portfolios had also been dropped). This revamped '93 version was a high-water mark for diner books, a now numerous field. With it's perfect balance between individual diner stories ("dinerlore"), photos, and history, and great attention to detail which bespeaks a real love of the subject, this has been an unofficial bible for diner afficionados for the last 7 years.

Now here is the 2000 edition, published in paperback by Johns Hopkins (apparently Barry Levinson's hometown has more interest in diners than the folks at Harper). This is basically just a reprint of the 1993 edition, with a different cover, a new introduction, and a few names added to the diner index at the end. While on the one hand it's great that this modern classic is available again (it had been out of print for several years) I had hoped that there would be some new material in it. To be sure, this book still teaches you how to tell a Paramount from a Mountain View, or a Fodero from a Worcester Lunch Car, and makes a fine gift (Christmas or otherwise) for someone who doesn't have the '93 edition. Nevertheless, at the risk of sounding like an ingrate, I would have to say I slightly prefer the '93 edition, mainly because the cover photo, an interior shot of a restored Worcester Lunch Car, with all that luscious wood, is more attractive than the rather bland shot of Ford's Diner that graces the cover of the 2000 edition. But make no mistake, if you don't have any diner books and are looking for a good one, this is THE one to get----and if you've already got five other diner books, you should still get this, as it has the clearest explication of American diner history you're ever likely to read.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Diner Bible, November 17, 2000
By 
This review is from: American Diner Then and Now (Paperback)
Gutman did it again - his updated study of Diners is the cornerstone of any roadside fan's book collection. If you only have room for one book on Diners, THIS IS THE BOOK. Lots of great pictures and stories from the early lunch wagons to the new super diners.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars best history of an american icon i have read!, August 23, 1996
By A Customer
gutman has updated his earlier book to make this one more interesting to the casual reader. Those of us who have an intrest in the history find this to be the consumate source of information. all he could do to improve this is add more pictures both interior and exterior. Gutman has preserved an American ICON forever
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews





Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
The classic stainless steel, streamlined diner could not have been a glint in the eye of Walter Scott, of Providence, Rhode Island, when he trundled down Westminster Street in 1872 in a light horse-drawn wagon laden with tasty sandwiches, boiled eggs, pies, and coffee. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
diner builders, lunch wagon business, dining car company, diner design, colonial diner, night lunch wagon, diner operators, diner manufacturers, built diners, diner business, building diners, diner building, new diners, steel diners, lunch car, lunch wagons, ten stools, diner owners, monitor roof, modern diner, old diners, wagon builder, porcelain enamel, barrel roof, many diners
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Worcester Lunch Car, Jerry O'Mahony, New England, White House, Silk City, Mayfair Diner, Mountain View, George Mahoney, Greenfield Village, Sam Jones, Pat Fodero, Rhode Island, Worcester Historical Museum, World War, Brill Steel Diners, Silver Diner, Tom Buckley, United States, Church Temperance Society, New Rochelle, Paramount Diners, Walter Scott, Art Deco, Dining Car News
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10 books:
See all 10 books this book cites
 
12 books cite this book:
See all 12 books citing this book



What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...

Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject