San Francisco Then & Now (Then & Now) [Hardcover]

Bill Yenne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2002

Celebrating America's favorite cityscapes, this series combines historic interest and contemporary beauty. Then and Now features fascinating archival photographs contrasted with specially commissioned, full-color images of the same scene today. A visual lesson in the historic changes of our greatest urban landscapes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Thunder Bay Press; First Edition edition (May 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571451560
• ISBN-13: 978-1571451569
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Yenne is the author of several novels and over three dozen books on historical topics, as well as having been a contributor to encyclopedias of both world wars. He has traveled throughout the world researching his books.

The "New Yorker" wrote of "Sitting Bull," his biography of the great Lakota leader, that it "excels as a study in leadership." This book was named to the number 14 spot among Amazon's 100 Best Books of the Year.

"Library Journal" observed that "enthusiastic World War II readers will be drawn to" his dual biography, "Aces High: The Heroic Story of the Two Top Scoring American Aces of World War II."

Recently, his book "Convair Deltas" was named as "Book of the Month" by "Air Classics," while his book "Tommy Gun" was named "Pick of the Month" by "Shooting Illustrated."

His book "Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint" was listed among the top business books of the year by "Condé Nast Portfolio Magazine," which rated Yenne's tome as its TOP pick for "Cocktail Conversation."

Yenne's "Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II," was praised by Walter Boyne, former Director of the National Air & Space Museum, who called it "a fast moving... page turner," and the "best book yet written on the saga."

The "Wall Street Journal" wrote, when reviewing his "Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West," that Yenne writes with "cinematic vividness," and says of his work that it "has the rare quality of being both an excellent reference work and a pleasure to read."

The author lives in San Francisco, California, and on the web at www.BillYenne.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful look Back and Forward, March 27, 2002

By 

Todd Hawley (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: San Francisco Then & Now (Then & Now) (Hardcover)

This book offers an excellent photographic perspective of San Francisco's past and present. Photos from the 1850's even up to the early 1960s (in the case of Diamond Heights) are shown along with photos of what a particular area of SF looks like today. While this book is a testament to how much the city has grown and changed over the last 150 years, it also shows how resilient it was after the earthquake and fire in 1906 that virtually leveled it.

It also makes the reader ponder a little about what life must have been like in San Francisco around the turn of the 20th century. Among the areas shown? The Marina district, Pacific Heights, Market St and the ferry building, several panoramas of the city, the Golden Gate bridge (during contruction and how it appears today), and Nob Hill.

Not only are the photos spectacular, but it also offers some history about "the city by the bay" and how some parts of it have changed dramatically and others might still be recognizable to those who visited 50 years ago. An excellent pictorial coffee table book about the city I'm lucky enough to live near.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected views of the city, even for locals, July 5, 1999

By 

Gregg L. Biggs "Gregg in SF" (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: San Francisco Then & Now (Then & Now) (Hardcover)

Unlike many San Francisco photo essays, this book gives a nice perspective on the history of the city beyond the frequently photographed northeast quarter. It is interesting to see the surprising changes of even "contemporary" history such as a 1963 and 1998 perspective of Diamond Heights. Though it lacks any indepth narrative, the brief descriptions of the photos provide some useful tidbits. And it does provide some amazing comparative visuals of the city.The books is quite reasonably priced for a fairly extensive visual presentation.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nice book, April 27, 2003

By 

Tad Tamura (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: San Francisco Then & Now (Then & Now) (Hardcover)

What makes this book special for me is the "now" photographs. The book's editor/photographer has made a sincere attempt to reshoot the photos, physically, from as nearly as possible from the original, without changing the photographic perspective. This allows the books' reader to view and compare the photos and know that streets, buildings, and other landmarks give an accurate view of how the city looked at a certain time. Accurate directions and locations listed in both historical and contemporary photos greatly enchances the value and arm chair travelers' enjoyment of the book. Buy a map of the city if you're not familiar with it.