Customer Reviews

Washington, D.C. Then and Now (Compact) (Then & Now Thunder Bay)

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

 

 

Washington D.C., Then and Now, is full of many fascinating pictures taken in and around the Washington D.C. area. The city is rich in history and full of a number of buildings, monuments and historic areas. Through the years, the city has changed and developed around these landmarks. Washington D.C., Then and Now traces this development and change through pictures.

The premise behind the book is to show the reader each area of the city as it appeared using archival photographs on one page, and comparing it to a recent picture of the same area, taken from approximately the same location, to demonstrate how the area has evolved.

The author has organized the book by street name or area. The earliest known picture of the Capitol, taken in 1846, is the most famous picture (Only seven are known to exist). There is an interesting story about how the rare picture was obtained. You'll have to get the book to find out.

Whether you have traveled to Wahington DC or are just interested in the pictoral history of our nation's capital, the book has a lot to offer. It also makes an excellent coffee table book for your guests to peruse.

Having seen a few other books showing historical photos of different cities' landmarks and their modern looks, I was interested to see what this book would offer. I was not disappointed, fiding the choice of subjects ranging form the famous to the obscure, painting a picture of a Washington long ago.

With many of the more famous buildings in Washington having been built in the last 70 years, there aren't as many older structural pictures to hold up against a view of the current looks. This is often refelcted by what originally stood on the site, and then the facing page shows what is built on the site now. Obviously, there are pictures showing the White House, Capitol, and a few other notable buildings to examine for small changes, but the majority of the book features things the average visitor wouldn't normally notice.

To people who have spent some time in this great city, they would greatly appreciate where the modern looks and everyday scenery has come from. To the average reader, this book would be an interesting coffee table book to entertain the curious.

This book is pretty good to see a historical comparison of Washington DC "then" vs. "now." The most disappointing aspect here is that a lot of the current pictures seem to have been taken on the same overcast late fall/early winter day. Washington DC is one of the most beautiful cities in the world but a lot of the current pictures don't capture that. The historical pictures and overall comparisons are pretty good though and I would have rated this a "5" if they had done a better job capturing the city's beauty. A solid "4" none the less.

Warning Paperback is (Compact) very small. Also the now picture are quickly becoming then aka dated now pictures-Buildings renovated; two buildings that I know of Capitol (Capitol Visitors Center), the DC Courthouse. I read 2007 publish date but I believe that this is a re-print date. As other review have stated the pictures are nice, but I also was expecting the same basic 'shot' now and then, not really the case in most of the shots with the angle and lenses now to then sometimes widely different.

I've lived in DC for 11 years and was really hoping for a fun coffee-table book showing LIFE then and now. Instead, this book focuses on the big buildings, which pretty much all look exactly the same. "Look! It's the National Archives in 1926! And in 2000!" The difference? Color. And so on, page after page, same big impersonal building on the left (in black and white), exact same building on the right (in color). If anything, it's a testament to the consistency of stone and marble.

To be fair, there are a handful of interesting (if standard) images: the swamps around the Lincoln Memorial, the early Capitol building, the White House with sheep, the old stone house at 17th & Constitution. But really, I've seen these before and they certainly aren't enough to justify the book.

At least it's a nice looking, well printed book. I'll leave it on the coffee-table for now. I just won't open it much.

Mitchell's book is the fifth in the "Then and Now" series that I've bought, and it is every bit as good as the others. If you are not familiar with the concept, old photographs of particular street corners or buildings are contrasted with corresponding current images. The author displays his detailed knowledge of the area as he recounts stories that accompany each set of photos.

Due to the consistency of some of the buildings in Washington, D. C., the main difference between pictures of a certain structure from 100+ years ago and today is only that one is black and white while the newer one is in color. But some locations have been dramatically transformed over time.

Any student of history and especially people interested in Washington, D. C. should really enjoy this book.

My Question is? If all the oil is in Texas, Why are all the Dip Sticks in Washington?????