Customer Reviews

Duluth, Minnesota (Images of America)

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Sheldon T. Aubut and Maryanne C. Nortons Duluth, Minnesota allows readers to glimpse Duluths impressive past without spending $50 to $100 on a large format coffee table book
The medium format paperback, which sells for $19.95 (part of Arcadia Publishings Images of America series), is big enough for large, clear photos that give readers an idea of the wealth and power the late 19th century Duluth leaders enjoyed. The city is broken into several sections or neighborhoods, outlining the history of each  mainly in photo captions. The authors are able to give a solid background on city history without bogging the casual reader down and without allowing large gray blocks of text to mar the book.
The stories and photos of several people who helped build Duluth and some of the celebrities who had connections with it are interspersed with historic and a few contemporary photos. President Rutherford B. Hayes owned property there and singer Bob Dylan was born in Duluth, to name two.
The captions under the historic photos tell readers what they most want to know: what the buildings were used for, what year they were built, and what became of them. The authors give enough architectural detail to help casual readers see what a Richardsonian Romanesque or Shingle house looked like, without sending one scurrying for a dictionary of architectural terms. This is an entertaining and handy little book to have, whether someone has visited Duluth or not. For someone who IS contemplating a visit, it would be an ideal guide book. I would definitely recommend it.

Sheldon T. Aubut and Maryanne C. Norton's 'Duluth, Minnesota' gives an inexpensive look into the history and architecture of this picturesque city. I wish it had been available before my last trip up there last year. I will definitely re-read it before my next visit. The book's easy-to-read conversational style keeps you moving through, and the photographs tell a fascinating story. Very highly recommended for anyone with an interest in this part of the country.

Sheldon T. Aubut and Maryanne C. Norton bring the history of Duluth, Minnesota's buildings to life in this book. "Duluth" starts with an early history of the Indian settlements of the Sioux and Ojibwe people, to Minnesota Point and the street car line serving both residents and businesses in the late 1800s.

Then we tour the West Downtown business district with its two-story structures where families lived on the second floor, to the West End now known as Lincoln Park. Continuing on our journey to East Downtown discovering mainly retail with fraternal organizations and theaters built in the 1870s and 1880s to the early government buildings constructed from the 1860s to 1900s and later.

Our hosts guide us through the hills, which rise from Lake Superior for a look at one of the nicest residential areas of the time. Personally, I did not know the city once had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the United States and this wealth produced many beautiful commercial buildings, homes, and bridges.

We then steer towards the East End, an area filled with the period revival homes that were much in vogue. Lastly, the "Streetcar Suburbs" where it was possible to live away from the crowded downtown area and commute, and Skyline Parkway, a roadway near the top of Duluth's hills.

"Duluth" is the perfect gift book for architectural aficionados and those that want to learn more about this area. The book offers a wonderful sampling of the city's significant structures and makes for enjoyable reading about its wonderful historic treasures.

The quantity and quality of photos in this book amazed me. Sheldon T. Aubut and Maryanne C. Norton do an outstanding job captioning the photographs, giving plenty of interesting information, but not enough to lose one's attention. Being born and raised in Duluth, I was surprised at how little I actually knew about the city and some of the buildings I knew so well. I couldn't put the book down.... I truly was mesmerized.

I bought this book for my Grandmother who has lived in Duluth her whole life and knows the story behind every building, mansion, and important Duluthians and she loved it! She recognized many of the old buildings and names, and she even learned a thing or two from it! She said it was the best book anyone has ever given her and I really enjoyed looking through it myself. I would really like a copy for myself!

FANTASTIC BOOK! I purchased this for my grandfather, knowing he would love it being that he has lived in Duluth his entire life. Little did I know how much I would love it, being born and raised there myself but having been gone for many years. I read it cover to cover and couldn't put it down. The photographs and stories are facinating. Kudos to these two great authors!