Streets of San Francisco: The Origins of Street and Place Names [Paperback]

Louis K. Loewenstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1984

From its origins as the Spanish village of Yerba Buena ("good herb") to its present status as the cultural and commercial center of the West, San Francisco's heritage is reflected in its historic street names. Here's your key to unlocking the secrets of "Baghdad by the Bay's" colorful past.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An endless source of education and illumination" -- Herb Caen, San Francisco Chronicle

The origins of street and place names are surveyed in a title which includes plenty of background history on San Francisco's streets and their evolution. An excellent, fun title for any who hold an affection for and special familiarity with San Francisco's streets. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 101 pages
• Publisher: Don't Call It Frisco Pr (April 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938530275
• ISBN-13: 978-0938530275
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Quickest Introduction To San Francisco History., June 9, 2000

By 

H. M. Barrett "mimereader" (San Francisco, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Streets of San Francisco: The Origins of Street and Place Names (Paperback)

One of the reasons I like this book is that the author mentions me on his acknowledgments page; a generous trade off for some quick research on Mormon history. But the reason you may like to get a copy of the Streets of San Francisco is that it will enable you to look up the story behind many of our street sign names. This kind of information won't get you to your destination any quicker the first time, but it might the second time you come around, because establishing reference points is the best way to remember anything. This book is put together like a dictionary and provides about six sentences on each street. Nowadays few of us, especially tourists, really have a chance to read history books on the run, but you can get a basic idea of what San Francisco's past is all about by just quickly looking up the names you encounter. What you figure out will transfer over to other things very quickly. If I was going to try improve this book, I would do so by listing people who should have gotten a street named after them, people whose names adorn other places, such as Moscone Center being named for the assassinated mayor, or Hallidie Plaza being named for the developer of our world famous street car system. Yes, that would probably mean changing the title to the Streets and Public names of San Francisco, but that works for me. And perhaps fewer people would confuse the book's present title with the old Streets of San Francisco television show, as I have seen happen a few times. Another limitation is that this book does not have enough names, so the more serious historians among us simply use this in conjunction with other books on local historical sites; such as the unsurpassed and encyclopedic San Francisco Almanac by Gladys Hansen. Anyway, nearly every book store in San Francisco does sell the Streets of San Francisco, and some like to display its especially nice cover right next to the check-out counter.