Customer Reviews

Greetings from New Jersey: A Postcard Tour of the Garden State

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From Sinatra to Springsteen, Princeton to Pt. Pleasant and all 121 miles of Jersey Shore coastline this book rekindles long dormant memories for those who grew up in the Garden State or were clamdigger wanna-bees. Helen Chantal-Pike mixes insightful prose with picturesque views of the Great State of New Jersey. This is a must have for anyone who has salt water running through their veins. Excellent coffee table book that you can come back to again and again. Can't wait until Pike's next book, "Asbury Park: Glory Days 1890-1980" is published based on the quality of "Greetings from New Jersey. . ."

"Greetings from New Jersey, A Postcard Tour of the Garden State" is a hefty, gorgeous book that feels good to hold in your hands. New Jersey is one of the great postcard states, and author Helen Pike, between two covers, has made quite a handsome sandwich of it. From the diving horse of Atlantic City to the dining room of the State Reformatory in Rahway; from Thomas Edison at his West Orange office to the cute little Campbell's Kids, the tour is a colorful retro-joy that calms the nerves and sends the reader dreaming. Advertising, manufacturing, main streets, parades, disasters -- it's all there. And it's m'm! m'm! Good! With each card, Pike supplies an appealing bite-size commentary. As if the cards and comments aren't enough, Pike's essays are likewise terrific. The introduction to the book entertainingly deals with the advent of the picture postcard in general and its importance to New Jersey in particular. A closing chapter is titled "The Delights of Deltiology" (the study of postcards) and is a really useful introduction to the various categories of cards. It is perfect for people who wish to develop an interest in collecting. In short, "Greetings from New Jersey" is a book to keep close by and pick up again and again. It's really good enough to eat (which is why I bought two of them). It would make a great gift for almost anyone.

This outstanding collection brought back fond memories of trips to New Jersey many years ago. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.