Little Italy of the Bronx Book: Belmont & Arthur Avenue [Paperback]

Steven M. Samtur (Compiler), Paula De Marta Mastroianni (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002

'Little Italy of THE BRONX' Belmont & Arthur Avenue Belmont: the neighborhood where everybody knew your name and even your nickname.

Of the fifty distinct neighborhoods of The Bronx, the most populated and close family-knit enclave was the 10-square-block area called Belmont & Arthur Avenue, The Little Italy of The Bronx.

And here, among these pages, you’ll see the places that drew, and still draw people by the thousands to shop, eat, and sight-see.

Mario’s, Dominick’s, Catania’s for great pizza, the Savoy Movie House, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. The teeming streets of people during the Feast of St. Anthony. This was home to one of the greatest groups of Rock & Roll, Dion and The Belmonts. It was a neighborhood where everyone looked out for one another. And you can tour it through this book. Through these pages, you’ll travel along a historic part of The Bronx that’s still alive and well. And the great part about it is that you don’t have to be Italian to love it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen M. Samtur is a Bronx native (University Avenue) who went to DeWitt Clinton H.S. and graduated from CCNY and later received an MS from Hunter College. He taught at Taft High School in the Bronx. Growing up, he played golf at Van Cortdlandt, Mosholu, Pelham and Split Rock golf courses and went swimming at Orchard Beach and Shorehaven. During the summers he worked at Yankee Stadium. Since 1992, Stephen and his wife Susan have been co-editors of Back In THE BRONX, a magazine celebrating the experience of growing up and living in the Bronx. He and his wife have four children and live in Scarsdale, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Back in The Bronx (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965722139
• ISBN-13: 978-0965722131
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #972,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Going Home, May 8, 2004

By 

Dennis Merchand "History Buff" (Jersey City, NJSA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Little Italy of the Bronx Book: Belmont & Arthur Avenue (Paperback)

Having grown up in Litle Italy of the Bronx in the 50's & 60's, I eagerly bought this book. It consists of mainly photographs of the area from the 40's through the 60's with a lot of family stories and history of the area. Included are several charming drawings centered around life in this neighborhood.

Almost every picture brought a flood of memories of a place & time that no longer exists. I recommend this book to anyone from the area or to anyone who is interested in the history of the Bronx.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Memories of "the Old Neighborhood", March 15, 2009

By 

Nella (NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Little Italy of the Bronx Book: Belmont & Arthur Avenue (Paperback)

I also grew up in the Belmont/Arthur Avenue section of Little Italy. I totally enjoyed this book, and particularly the list of stores that were around during the 1960's, when I was growing up. It brought back some memories I had forgotten. I particularly enjoyed the photos, and I also knew some of the people mentioned in the book, which was surprising, and a sort of a 'homecoming'. The photos are priceless because they are a piece of my culture and history - and again made me realize what I already knew, that I am proud to be an Italian-American from Little Italy, where community was important, and simply things were so much fun, and we didn't need ipods or the internet to have a good time. If you grew up on 187th St., you will know exactly what I am talking about. BTW, the authors left out the music store I worked at when I was a teenager - Casa Del Disco :)Still, a great book!