Customer Reviews

The Mansions of Long Island's Gold Coast, Expanded Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The previous edition of this book is *far* superior to this edition. In this version it appears that all of the photos were digitally scanned (and some altered) with absolutely HORRIBLE results. Some are actually blurry!! All the photos are *extremely* darkened, the cover included. It's shown here on Amazon with the grass being 2 different shades of green due to the sunlight, but on the actual book the grass is only a single shade of dark green, with no sun lightening half of it. I thought I had a bad copy from Amazon so I checked out 3 different bookstores and found the same thing. This is really absurd that a publishing company could let these go out this way. Or do they not consider this a defect because it was intentionally "cheapened" this way? What a disgrace to a book that was truly a work of art. I suggest obtaining the previous out-of-print edition and leaving this one alone.

I appreciate the warning about the photographs in this book. Why else would someone buy a book such as this other than to look at the beautiful homes in all of their splendor? I blame the digital age and bad scanning/reproducing/printing and I agree, some things are better off left alone and out of print.

Good grief, these reviewers are harsh about this edition, I mean sure the former edition did have more vivid pics, but this book is not a disaster, it's still the wonderful book Ms. Randall wrote years ago. I have that edition, but I also enjoyed this edition, I really appreciated the updates and the additional homes. Ms. Randall cares about these homes and the history of the Gold Coast. This book is well researched and the photos are quite interesting. I realize that the criticism by the other amazon critics are not a criticism of this book, just the editor for the quality, but one star really gives people the wrong immpression of this classic book. Honestly the quality of this book is not that bad and the book itself is a classic of its genre. Give it a try or at least buy a pre owned older copy, you won't be disappointed.

As a admirer of historical older homes across Amrica, and a recent returnee to college at age 49 for a second career in interior architecture, this book is a welcome site. I have a collection of architectual books of Mansions in every grouping or by an architect or designer. The one minor flaw that I and other reviewers have had is that while the original black & white photos of the manisions with update written information on the current condition is great, we never see photos (if possible) of the homes as they look today. This one actually shows on occasion a current photo of the house as possible. Example is of Zog Ruins just off of Highway 106. Zog was abandoned by its owner in the early 1950's and the gatekeeper left it in 1959. The house was vandilized in the 60's. The photos of the house are as the house as it sat in ruins during the 60's and the last photo is dated 1968.
The books photos are not done in the slick style other books on mansions are done, but rather in a personal photo scrap book sort of way. One can actually feel the way M. Randall felt as she assemblied this book. Ms. Randall pours her heart into her personal scrap with love and care and it is seen thru out the marvelious book. Photos are in B&W and color.....while the color ones appear to be Poloariod style, it is refreshing to see them presented this way. Text is simple and straight forward. This would be a great learning tool in architecture and interior design schools as a reference or teaching book on preservation & restoration.

This book is a must for lovers of Long Island, New York or great mansions of anykind.

The book was ok. The photo quality of some of the pictures was not the best and the text came across somewhat amateurish.

I love homes and history and I have some family ties to the early days of Long Island and New York. This book added a great amount of magic and mystery to the Gold Coast. I was blown away by some of the stories of excess and "beating the Jones'" but it was also sad and touching to hear of the many tragedies that struck the families and many of the homes. It was fun to see the homes at their high point but very sad to see that many have decayed into ruins through many years of neglect or vandalism. It is an era that is gone and in our past but it is brought back to life each time I sit down and pick this book up. It is a great addition to my library, I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in homes or history. The "Gold Coast" was the right title.

Monica Randall took some of these pics as a kid who snuck in the old mansions and saved a lot of rare, rare items. Give her a break and get in the spirit of fun and adventure. I think it was great of her to care and preserve these things the best she knew how at the time. No one else cared! Most of these places were bulldozed contents and all.

This is an intimate and thorough glimpse into the mansions of America's Gold Coast, a region of Long Island where such wealth and extravaganze accumulated in the late 1800's-mid 1900s as to boggle the modern mind. In an era before government taxes became a hindrance to such spending by the wealthy, the Gold Coast mansions rival even the most exquisite mansions, chateaux, castles and estates of Europe.
I purchased this book because I had just finshed reading "Gold Coast" by Nelson Demille, a modern day "Great Gatsby"-esque look at the decline of the Gold Coast culture. This book was phenomenal (and I highly recommend it), but I had trouble picturing the locales discussed in the book, because the scale and scope of grandeur is almost beyond imagination.
Mansion's of Long Island's Gold Coast has hundreds of pictures, some old some new. With well written descriptions on each locale, it carefully reconstructs a visual aid to understanding that region. Some of the photos are not as modern as you might want, but that is a product of photos being used of mansions before they were torn down, as have many, many of these glorious homes.
This book is a must read for anyone interested in the architecture, culture, and social mores of a bygone era. You could also use it as a reading aid to "Great Gatsby", as there are pictures of the mansions that Fitzgerald used as inspirations for Gatsby's estate, among others. Fascinating!

This book is an interesting, fact-filled exploration of a by-gone era.
The "Gold Coast" of Long Island, the North shore, had one of the greatest
concentrations of wealth in America at the turn of the century. During
that "Gatsby" era, before the 1929 stock market crash, many bankers, politicians,
movie stars, etc. built magnificent homes as a tribute to their success, wealth and
and power. When you read this book and see the beautiful illustrations and
photographs, you learn about the rich history of the area. Many of the old mansions
are still standing, and this book can be used as a tour guide to use if you visit
and of the sights. I enjoyed this book emmensely and would recommend it highly.

This book is fabulous! Monica Randall provides great photos and her research is impeccable.

Having be fortunate enough to own a home,for 15 years, on land that was part of Burrwood (Built for Walter Jennings of Standard Oil) I know that she has her facts down.

You'll want to check out the information on Caumsett (built for Marshall Field III). As a founding member of the Caumsett Foundation, I thought I knew just about everything about the estate. The author managed to provide information that was new to me.

I strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in the Gold Coast of Long Island, great architecture, the need for preservation and restoration or even if you are just looking for a good book to read.

Enjoy - it's extraordinary.