Customer Reviews

A Short History of Boston (Short Histories)

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

 

 

I purchased this book to get a little more connected to my adopted home. The book is crammed full of information in its slim 128 pages. Space does not allow any topic to be reviewed in full detail. But, on many pages I found myself saying, "Wow, that's really interesting. I'd love to read more about that." A Short History of Boston is a great launching pad to more study of Boston's nearly 400 years of history.

We bought this in preparation for a trip to Boston - it was perfect. Short and concise but informative too. An easy read on the plane!

I agree with the previous reviewer that there is a lot of information packed into this slim volume, and it would indeed make a great jumping-off point for learning more -- you can peruse this book for what interests you, and then trundle over to the Boston Public Library to dig for more details.

That said, I did not find the writing in this book to flow very well. Informative, yes, but not a very pleasant read. I suspect that an editing overhaul... reword this sentence, rearrange that paragraph, etc... would make the book not only informative but much more enjoyable to consume.

I was looking for a brief historical overview of Boston, that is just an outline of the main events from the first settlement to the present. Thats what I got. I would highly recommend the book if thats what you're look for.

I just recently moved to Boston and wanted a quck primer on the city and its history. This book was perferct for that as it touches on all the major events and people who once lived here. My only complaint is that Mr. Allison devotes much more detail and description in the earlier part of Boston's history, and condenses everything in the last couple chapters. I like his writing and gives you what you need to know, but I would prefer that he had written either a longer book or two seperate "short history" books - one up to Civil War and one on post-Civil War. Its a nice little book nonetheless, and I recommend it.

As a guy who was born and raised in South Boston, I can say that this is by far the best Boston history book I've encountered. What Allison manages to pack into just over 100 pages would take most authors volumes to communicate. Plus, as I was reading, I felt as if I couldn't turn the pages fast enough because the book was so enthralling. Having recently suffered through textbook after textbook in high school (a Boston Public School), I can say without reservation that I learned more from this book than through all my years in Boston schools. I've also had the pleasure of reading several other of Allison's books: A Short History of Cape Cod; The American Revolution; and Stephen Decatur, American Naval Hero. All of them have something for every reader, and are accessible and understandable to all. I could go on and on about these books, but instead I will urge you to get one and find out for yourself how well Allison writes!

I was looking for a book on the history of Boston in preparation for a last-minute leisure trip to the city. This was the only book I could find that had the city's history stretching from its origins all the way to present day. And in that sense, it was perfect. I found myself recalling facts and information while I walked the streets, and was able to recognize the history behind street names and monuments that I never would have grasped had I not read this. The tangential anecdotes and character profiles fill out the gaps in the narrative and the same amount of space was given to religion, politics, culture, and nature. It never felt as if one subject was being treated with a greater emphasis than another. A few reasonable gripes prevent me from giving this book a full five stars. For one, it is heavily illustrated yet the pictures seemed ill-chosen and didn't really add much to the text. Also, it would have been nice to have several extra pages devoted to contemporary Boston, as a lot of the historical areas have been demolished over time. A little bit more political and social history from the last 20 or so years would have been crucial to my understanding of Boston. Nevertheless, "A Short History of Boston" adheres completely to its title and will definitely enhance your visit, especially if you don't have the time to read more, as in my case.