Customer Reviews

Cleveland: 1796-1929 (OH) (Images of America)

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

 

 

Thea Gallo Becker, <strong>Cleveland 1796-1929</strong> (Arcadia Publishing, 2004)

I read this hot on the heels of Andrew Borowiec's <em>Cleveland: The Flats, the Mill, and the Hills</em>, and while I find Becker to be one of the more solid writers in the Arcadia stable today, I have to say this kind of pales in comparison. In retrospect, I should have expected this; Arcadia books are known for being expository, and Becker's are no different; she traces the history of urban development from Cleveland's earliest days to 1929, the completion of what is now known as Tower City, and it does a fine job of this. Borowiec, on the other hand, succeeds in doing the same with photos taken over a much shorter time period (and, of course, in a more impressionist fashion) by creating a mood that movies through his book. None of this is to say that Becker's book is not valuable, nor that I won't be moving on to her second volume, which covers 1930-2000. More that the two make good companion pieces, and are worth looking at in tandem. *** ½

This book is full of great photos of Cleveland and tidbits of Cleveland history. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the history of Cleveland. The genealogist will find this a great addition to their collection. Great for putting that family history in context.