Customer Reviews

Brooklyn Then and Now (Then and Now)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The greatest borough of the greatest city on Earth deserves its own special history, and Marcia Reiss has provided it. BROOKLYN THEN AND NOW is a reminder that Manhattan is not the only place that underwent enormous changes over the last century and a half. Capturing Brooklyn in recent photos and juxtaposing them with shots of the same area 50, 75, 100 or 125 earlier, dramatizes the growth that Brooklyn (the fourth largest city in America before the 1898 consolidation) experienced. It's too bad that you can't "take a look inside" this book on this website, but take my word for it, it's jammed with great photos!

This volume bests many other photographic books about Brooklyn because the book format is large and "landscape" shape (the photos measuring 10 x 6.75" inches), the individual photos are sharp (where other books too often have muddy reproduction), the subject matter is interesting, and the captions accurate. I think I know my Brooklyn, as I have explored it for sixty years. I have not yet found an error in the text. Because the author usually positions the camera in the "now" scene close to where it was in the "then" scene, the photos are exceptionally interesting. For instance, page 86 shows the Hanover Club, Bedford and Rodney Street, in 1893. The "now" photo shows it as a yeshiva, with the details of the pedestrian, the "Don't walk" signs, and yellow school bus. A "circa 1908" photo of Times Plaza shows the same Interborough head building (then a fare collection area) that I walked past last month. The author earns extra stars for including people in most photos. This book is far more than a book of Brooklyn buildings. The streets are alive!

I was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and so enjoyed looking at pictures of places I knew as a child-- a nice contrast of way back when and today. My family lived in North & South Williamsburg from the 1820s to 1920s before heading to Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and Glendale. I really enjoyed seeing the photos along with an explanation of how the neighborhoods have changed. I bought an extra book to give to a friend who grew up in Sheepshead Bay/Marine Park/Coney Island. A nice compendium. :>)

I wish I could share the enthusiasm some of the other reviews have, but I found this book somewhat disappointing. There are some interesting shots, yes, but many of them are stock photos you've already seen if you own earlier books on the subject. I also would have preferred less shots of scenes that haven't changed from then to now. Additionally, all the "now" pictures were taken in the summer, so in many instances trees obscure almost the entirety of what the photographer means to showcase. What's the point of that? Why not wait a few months so that the scene is visible? It exemplifies the somewhat slapdash feel of this book.

Let me say, Brooklyn is my second favorite place on earth (after New Orleans). I have deep personal and family roots there and have collected many historical books on NY's greatest borough.

This book is a wonderful concept. And it offers some truly fantastic photos with great resolution, good printing, etc.

Yet, for all its virtues, this book was somewhat disappointing. Very frequently (almost every shot) the camera is not set to the same exact spot or angle as the original to which it is contrasted. When you look at the photos on facing pages you are often comparing apples to oranges. One old photo of a streetscape shows all three lanes of traffic, while its modern update shows half of a single lane; another photo of the skyscape has barely any sky above the buildings, while the modern update is almost half sky; often whole buildings are cut off the edge of one of the photos, or the second one is taken from a very different angle. SInce the original photos are the given, it would seem to have taken very minimal care to match the same vantage points on the new photos. It just comes off as quickly prepared and lazy, and mars the purpose of the project.

But overall, this is worth having and enjoying. A fun exercise is to travel to the spots in the photographs, book in hand, and look yourself.

I bought this book as a gift for my boss who grew up in Brooklyn. He absolutely loved it! He couldn't put it down, and every page brought back memories to him. The pictures are beautiful, and the text is informative.

This book links historic photos of Brooklyn landmarks with modern (color) views. The historic images are well-chosen and most of the modern shots match them point-for-point. The concise commentary highlights similarities and differences.

A useful and illuminating guide to history in the County of Kings.

This was a nice book which showed some interesting shots of Brooklyn in earlier times alongside more recent shots, sort of like Douglas LeVere's retrospective of Berenice Abbott's 'Changing New York'. I guess I expected a little more from the book. Not that it wasn't good; it just seems incomplete, like there should have been more. The book is more of an appetizer than an entree. The author should have teamed up with Brian Merlis to recreate some of the images from his books. But if you're looking for an overview of how Brooklyn has changed over the past 100 years, this is a decent place to start.

Wonderful collection of historical photo's alongside a current day view of the same location. A must have for anyone interested in the history of Brooklyn.