Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City [Hardcover]

Stefan Lorant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2000

Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City follows Pittsburgh from its frontier beginnings through its evolution into the most heavily industrialized city in the world, to the city's renewal of itself as "America's Most Livable City." This beautiful volume though, is much more than the story of a single city; it is the history of the United States. This book is based on years of research and includes contributions by such noted American historians as Henry Steele Commager and Oscar Handlin. More than 1100 pictures recreate the city's dramatic 200+year history. Featured are photographs by W. Eugene Smith, Margaret Bourke-White, Norman W. Schumm, Lorant himself and others. A chronology of events from 1717 offers historical snapshots in the day to day life of the archetypical American city.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stefan Lorant was the author of more than a dozen books on American history. He edited magazines in three languages -- English, German, and his native Hungarian. He has been acknowledged as the creator of modern photo-journalism by Life magazine, The New York Times, and The London Times. In 1991 The London Times included him as one of the "1000 Makers of the Twentieth Century" for the development of photo-journalism.

Stefan Lorant was the author of more than a dozen books on American history. He edited magazines in three languages -- English, German, and his native Hungarian. He has been acknowledged as the creator of modern photo-journalism by Life magazine, The New York Times, and The London Times. In 1991 The London Times included him as one of the "1000 Makers of the Twentieth Century" for the development of photo-journalism.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 776 pages
• Publisher: Derrydale Press; 5th Edition edition (September 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967410304
• ISBN-13: 978-0967410302
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Pennsylvania

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pittsburgh is more than you think!, November 30, 1999

By 

Loriann Oberlin (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City (Hardcover)

As a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh and author of an upcoming guidebook to the area, I believe Pittsburgh: Story of An American City is a wonderful book for more than Pittsburghers.

This book lifts the lid on all our progressive city has to offer, it educates those who have outdated knowledge of Pittsburgh, and it makes a great gift book.

If that's not enough, it provides an ideal history lesson for all as Western Pennsylvania has many historic sights to see as well as splendid architecture!

After reading, you'll want to extend your next business trip to Pittsburgh, shop in more than our airport, and visit our family-friendly parks. Don't forget: Mister Rogers lives here! Your kids will love Idlewild Park, with the only life-size Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

If you can't be our neighbor, come see us. You won't be disappointed!

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must-have' for any millennium book list., October 22, 1999

By 

Michael Hallett (Stefan Lorant's biographer) ... (Worcester, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City (Hardcover)

We landed at Pittsburgh International Airport a little after dusk, impressed with how the runways appeared to grow out of the natural contours of the land. We joined the flowing rush hour traffic as the comfortable limousine sped in towards the city. Joe, our driver, talked enthusiastically about the change from steel city to high tech city, the history of an era that changed from black to white, but nothing was to prepare us for what was to follow. As we escaped through the Fort Pitt tunnel the night light panorama left us breathless-this surely is one of the new post-modern views of a post-industrial age.

The purpose of our visit had everything to do with `The Book'; the style in which Pittsburgh's citizens would affectionately refer to Stefan Lorant's monumental opus Pittsburgh: the story of an American city. With an initial ten years in the making, first published in 1964 and revised in 1974, 1980 and 1988, Lorant was completing a fifth edition when he died in November 1997 just 100 days short of his 97th birthday. Twenty-five thousand copies of this new version, the `Millennium Edition' are now on the bookstalls due to the tenacity, talent and sheer hard work of Bruce and Gail Campbell who inherited the copyright. Lorant himself was tenacious, immensely talented, capable of recognising talent in others and certainly subscribed to the work ethic. It is intriguing to speculate why a Hungarian, a foreigner and stranger to the city could write such a volume, on the surface a notion to be easily dismissed but a reality that became spectacularly successful.

Stefan Lorant was born in Budapest on February 22nd, 1901 and died in Rochester, Minnesota on November 14th, 1997 at 96-years-of-age. He was a witness to the century with his life spanning a period of political turmoil, war and social change. Lorant became a legend within his lifetime. His work as a visual and literary editor allowed him to pioneer and develop the genré of picture based journalism at a period in time which saw the emergence of modern mass communications. Internationally he became a guiding force, disseminating his ideas and political knowledge throughout Europe in the late-twenties and thirties by working in Germany, Hungary and England, eventually spreading his sphere of influence to America where he introduced the concept of the pictorial biography. His innovative layouts, his `exclusive' interviews and thirst for knowledge became a familiar part of millions of everyday lives, largely through the pages of his own creations, and in particular the legendary media icon Picture Post. His vision of photography as a documentary medium inspired Life and Look magazines in America, and paved the way for the eventual emergence of the television documentary. For this he became recognised as `the father of picture journalism'.

Originally published in 1964, the first edition of Pittsburgh: the story of an American city is the mature Lorant at his most brilliant. `The Book' had a specific local audience as well as a wider interested public throughout America and that is reflected by the reviews of the first edition. Harrison E. Salisbury in The New York Times sees `The whole tumultuous story of Pittsburgh, magnificently illustrated... is presented in this volume... the study of the metamorphosis is all here-the bloody struggles of the nineteenth century, the grit and smoke, the politics, the toil, the sweat-the imagination.' Publishers' Weekly was equally congratulatory but in a different way. `It is certainly one of the most fascinating detailed picture histories yet attempted of any city anywhere. For readability, thoroughness (ten years of research went into it), graphic quality, and broad scope (it covers political and social history, daily life, labor problems, architecture and what have you), this is a model history of an American city.'

Lorant's Pittsburgh: the story of an American city is not just a biography of a city but a microcosm of the American peoples. Just ten or so days before he died in November 1997, Lorant complained that he only needed a good day to complete `The Book'. To be accurate Lorant's `good day' did not mean a working period of time between dawn and dusk, or any other measure within that 24-hour cycle. It was an infinitely variable amount of time necessary to complete the story to Lorant's satisfaction. He was not to have that `good day'. He had completed the layout for the new pages and commissioned the new photographs, most of which were in place. Picking up the editorial reigns, Gail and Bruce Campbell have produced this new edition with Bruce weaving the strands of the new final chapter from 1988 to the millennium which he entitles, `The best is yet to come'.

There are parallels with which Lorant would have been acquainted. Mozart's pupil Süssmayr, well appraised of his master's procedure and intentions completed the final masterpiece-Requiem in D minor. By comparison, the Campbell's share an affinity with Lorant's intentions and have produced a contemporary and forward looking vision which retains Lorant's classic composition.

Those of us who knew Lorant well, can still visualise him sat at his kitchen table in his farmhouse in Lenox with a copy of the new Millennium Edition open in front of him. For a while nothing would be said, though nothing would be missed. Eventually there would be a slight shrug of his shoulders, a nonchalant wave of his hands. `It is good, very good-but with my help, perhaps we could have made it ten percent better.' That would be praise indeed from this great Hungarian editor, for without question Lorant would have approved.

This is a `must-have' for any millennium book list!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Were to Write a Love Letter to a City..., December 19, 2005

By 

JAD (The Sunshine State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City (Hardcover)

If you were to write a love letter to a city, what would it look like? Pretty much like this book, a history in prose and photographs that is a true delight.

Lorant knows that most people from Pittsburgh love it. Most people who are born in Pittsburgh never leave it. Most people who live there for a time and then have to move on, come back to live there again. Why? The people.

Attitudinally speaking, it is the last of the Eastern Cities meeting the first of the Midwestern Cities, so Pittsburghers combine the tradition, culture and energy of the former with the welcoming warmth and openness of the latter. Lorant captures it all, and more. If you haven't read this book, open it and you will find yourself reminded of people and places--and smile.