Lost New York in Old Postcards [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Wish You Were Here!

Lost New York in Old Postcards documents the city from the turn of the century to the mid-1950s, the years in which hand-colored postcards were produced. These cards capture images of lost New York—buildings, places, parks, hotels, subways, restaurants, nightclubs, theaters, and stores—that no longer exist or have been transformed by the constant change defining New York as a work in progress.

• An exhibit of the contents of this book can be seen at The Museum of the City of New York, where the author’s collection will be donated.

Rod Kennedy, Jr.’s books include The Brooklyn Cookbook and The County Fair Cookbook with Lyn Stallworth; Atlantic City: 125 Years of Ocean Madness with Lee Eisenberg and Vicki Levi. He is the founder and president of Stadia Tins Ltd., which produces decorative tins that are replicas of major league baseball stadiums. He also produced the "Star Spangled Banner" poster for the Smithsonian Institution.

From the Inside Flap

Postcards are a synthesis of painting and photography, showing landmarks often embellished with tiny American flags, airplanes, beacons, and cloud formations that existed only in the artists' imaginations. While they were gradually replaced in the 1950s, following Kodak's introduction of chromes (four-color process cards) in 1939, their place in recording history has grown.

Lost New York in Old Postcards is meant to be as lighthearted and whimisical as these cards, by including captions presenting unusual facts and tidbits of information. While we mourn the loss of such institutions as Penn Station and Ebbets Field, we are glad they are preserved in the collective subconscious of the place in the form of paintings, postcards, and photos and can be celebrated in volumes such as this.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher; 1st edition (August 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586850415
• ISBN-13: 978-1586850418
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #567,045 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully crafted view of the New York I never knew!, January 7, 2002

By	Beverly A Hegmann (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Kennedy's collection brings to life the old New York I never knew, but now wish I had... The graphics are fabulous, and, together with the well-executed captions, provide insight into what this magnificent city was like in its hey-day. Well worth the price! The book is as colorful as the city it paints -- and Kennedy's love for New York shines through on every page.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Blast From The Past, January 11, 2002

By	Rusty Donner (West Bay Shore, NY USA) - See all my reviews

The book brought back memories of good times.
Nice to see some things that are no longer around,
especially when the things put up after were not as grand.
Sorry I didn't save my old postcards.

5.0 out of 5 stars What Was Once Lost ..., January 11, 2002

By	Joseph J. Donner (Berkeley Heights, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kennedy's book has brought to life the New York that I've only heard about. Lost New York in Postcards sparked memories from everyone in my family and made Christmas 2001 a very special day. The brilliance of the illustrations and the charm of the narrative make this a book worth owning.