The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday, 1935-1965 (Life in The Bronx Series) [Hardcover]

Lloyd Ultan (Author), Gary Hermalyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 1992

Life In The Bronx Series

For the past 20 years, The Bronx County Historical Society has been at work on a history of life in the borough series. In 1979, the first book, The Beautiful Bronx: 1920-1950 was published, and this was followed in 1985 by The Bronx In The Innocent Years: 1890-1925, and then in 1992 by The Bronx It Was Only Yesterday: 1935 - 1965. In 2000, The Birth of The Bronx 1609-1900 becomes the fourth in the series. Splendid works of social history, "The Life in The Bronx" series provides an engaging portrait of the mainland section of New York City at various turning points in the development of America's growing urban society.

This volume takes a close look at a period of great technological change that brought the outside world closer to The Bronx. These were the decades when entertainment shifted from enjoying movies and radio, to spending hours watching newly purchased black and white television sets; when the preferred mode of transportation changed from trolleys, buses, and subways to automobiles; when popular taste in music shifted from big bands to rock 'n' roll; when heretofore tranquil neighborhoods were disturbed by the clatter of construction of new highways and high-rise housing complexes. These absorbing narratives of the colorful activities of these times is complemented with rare photographs from the research archives of The Bronx County Historical Society. They offer a vivid glimpse into the wide range of changes that occurred in these years and of the elements of continuity that preserved The Bronx as a desirable residence for the countless numbers of people that chose to make it their home.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lloyd Ultan, The Bronx Borough Historian, is a professor of history at the Edward Williams College of Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack, New Jersey and a Centennial Historian of New York City. He served as president of The Bronx County Historical Society from 1971 to 1976, and is the author of articles and books on Bronx and American history, including The Beautiful Bronx, The Bronx In The Frontier Era, Presidents of the United States, Legacy of the Revolution: The Story of the Valentine- Varian House and co- author of the Life in The Bronx book series and is founding editor of The Bronx County Historical Society Journal. GARY HERMALYN

Historian, publisher, educator, CEO of The Bronx County Historical Society, and president of the History of New York City Project. Doctorate from Columbia University, editor/author of 125 publications on urban history, geography, education, natural history and exploration, Dr. Hermalyn is the project editor of ten volume The United States Supreme Court ten volume series, the 4 volume Life in The Bronx series, and the six volume Roots of The Republic, author of Morris High School & The Creation of The New York City Public High School System, co-author of The Bronx in The Innocent Years, Birth of The Bronx, The Bronx It Was Only Yesterday, and Time & The Calendar, editor of American Metropolis: A History of NYC, Centennial of Greater New York, Hudson River: Inspiration and Challenge, New York City at the Turn of the Century, Tunneling to the Future an associate editor of the Encyclopedia of New York City, and a Centennial Historian of New York City. Dr. Hermalyn also leads study expeditions in tri-state regions' waterways producing monographs and videos.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: The Bronx County Historical Society (October 16, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941980332
• ISBN-13: 978-0941980333
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bronx As It Was Back Then, November 24, 2000

By 

Luis Hernandez (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday, 1935-1965 (Life in The Bronx Series) (Hardcover)

Compiled by the Bronx Historical Society, "The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday 1935-1965" chronicles the development of the northernmost borough of New York City before it became the area that many know it as today. From Wakefield to Mott Haven, from Riverdale to Co-op City, most of the borough's major neighborhoods are captured here in photographs and words, allowing past and present Bronxites to see the changes that have occurred in the thirty-year span that the book covers.

It was nostalgic to see photographs of the Alexander's department store on Fordham Road, seeing that it shut it doors in the late 1980's. Other interesting facts I didn't know before was that the largest amusement park in the eastern United States, "Freedomland" was located on the land where present-day Co-op City stands. It was closed in the late 1960's when word of a major theme park that was to arise out of the marshes of Orlando, Florida was being planned (yep, DisneyWorld brought an end to the Bronx's only amusement park).

Truly this is a must have if you are a past or present Bronxite who is very interested in learning about the borough's past. This book might also appeal to urban planning students who are interested in the development of one of New York City's last frontiers. Overall, "The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday 1935-1965" is a well-organized book that takes full advantage of the borough's historical archives. Once I opened its' pages I was taken on a journey to memory row, where memories of life back then only reside.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reminders of home, March 10, 2006

By 

Alfred F. Loreth "Big Al From the Bronx" (Colorado Springs, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday, 1935-1965 (Life in The Bronx Series) (Hardcover)

As a septuagenarian I remembered many things about the neighborhoods depicted in the book. I sent the book to a old friend from Kindergarten in the Bronx. She too enjoyed reading and viewing the book

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful History and Photos of the Bronx, January 8, 2012

By 

Bradley Feld (Eldorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday, 1935-1965 (Life in The Bronx Series) (Hardcover)

My mom and dad have a wonderful gift coming to them this week. Yesterday evening I read The Beautiful Bronx 1920-1950 and The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday, 1935-1965. Well - I mostly looked at the pictures and read the descriptions of the pictures, as that was the meat of each book, but the intro sections were also very cool.

My parents were each born in the Bronx and lived there until they moved to Blytheville, Arkansas in 1965 for a year. Growing up, my brother Daniel and I visited the Bronx periodically, as that's where our grandparents lived (until my dad's parents moved to Ft. Lauderdale) and we often heard tales of their time growing up in the Bronx.

I discovered these books a few weeks ago at my close friend Len Fassler's house. Len is key mentor of mine who has had a profound influence on me both personally and professionally. I was scanning his bookshelves during a break in the evening and noticed these two books. He noticed me noticing them and told me to borrow them. Instead, I emailed myself their names and bought them later that night on Amazon.

They are beautiful books about a different time in America. The Bronx was growing fast during the time period and was a magical place to live. It was close enough to Manhattan to get to use the New York, NY mailing address, yet far enough away to be its own place. It has huge ethnic diversity that was integrated in many ways, but also organized around the notion of neighborhoods. I recognized some of the street names, neighborhoods, and buildings from conversations with my parents and the few times that I've been through the Bronx in recent years. But mostly I just tried to transport myself back to a different time in our country.

I've encouraged my dad to write more about his childhood in the Bronx on his blog. He's written a few, like Punch Ball In Claremont Park, The Bronx (NY) 1945-1953, Jake the Pickle Man, Summer of '47, and StrikeOuts: A New York City Street Game. But he's got a ton more in him so I hope these books inspire him.