gogo Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 http://arcadiapublishing.com/ I love these books. I've been told that the one for my current neighborhood, the Inner Sunset in San Francisco, is one of the top-selling titles in the series, but I'm guessing a lot of smug little neighborhoods like my own probably make the same claim. Last night, my mom showed me a new one she'd just picked up, for the Westlake district, which is the neighborhood I grew up in. It's known as the Levittown of the Bay Area, a developer named Henry Doelger built the district on the sand dunes just south of San Francisco (but, he resisted the urge to call it Doelgertown). He also owned a couple of big shopping centers in the neighborhood, and was an active local presence in the early years of the area's development. The Doelger homes were post-war housing, intended for young families, and Westlake residents stepped up to the plate: at one point in the 1950s, the area had the highest birthrate in the state. These books all have great old pictures of these neighborhoods, but the one that blew me away was something I'd never seen before, a picture of Henry Doelger's own home. It's the other end of town from where I grew up, and I don't think I've ever seen it in person, but I'm definitely going to go take a look at it one of these days. It's the same split-level style as every other house in the Doelger developments, just on a grander scale. It's spread across three lots, so it doesn't break up the elevation of the neighborhood in any way, but it's still big enough to have an indoor swimming pool. I just love that a man who owned actual big-ass yachts still chose to live in the neighborhood that he built, to be surrounded by active young families whose lives he changed by making this type of single-family housing affordable to them. OK, who else has seen and enjoyed these books? I think they're a great project, I love local histories. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
the carlos Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I have the Prescott edition from this publisher. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I have not seen these, but I will definitely check them out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Good Old Neon Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I absolutely love these books - just love them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Very cool. I see some great titles for gifts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 They're usually written by someone local to the neighborhood, which is cool, because it's a lot of their own perspectives on the neighborhood. Not that they're not attempting to be comprehensive, but a lot of these books are more pictorial histories than anything else. So especially for these more newly-developed areas, the pictures tend to be whatever they can dig up, from whoever's willing to offer their own personal scrapbooks. I'm interested in the Campus series too, I didn't realize that they did those until I clicked on the website, but I think I'm going to order the one from my college. And no, I do not work for Arcadia Publishing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Preferred B Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I've seen them in bookstores, but I never saw ones specifically about my hometown ... until I looked at that site. And there are so many more, in general, than I'd seen before. Oh my. Christmas presents, prepare to be purchased. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 I can't stop browsing! Where's Dan? How's this for a subtitle? Poughkeepsie: Halfway Up the Hudson. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 There are pictures of my family's house is in the Enfield Connecticut book. It was built in 1763 by the first town doctor to give small pox vaccinations. Later it was an inn and played a part in the town's history during Paul Revere's ride. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Yea, I picked up the one for my hometown a couple years back. The books are awesome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I love them! I have my old home town and will probably pick up my current town at some point. I love old photos especially of areas I see every day! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 They don't have one yet of my hometown, but they do have one for a town that's about 5 miles away. I love looking through them and seeing pictures of houses and buildings that are still standing. Jason and I love to go for walks through historic neighborhoods and speculate on what life was like in certain houses and in certain neighborhoods back in the day. It's neat to be given the opportunity to actually see that. I love to look at the books about Detroit too and see what a great and vibrant city it used to be. Although it makes me a little sad at the same time. Oh, and Cryptique, if you go to the Border's downtown all these books are on the main floor, right by the elevator. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I can't stop browsing! Where's Dan? How's this for a subtitle? Poughkeepsie: Halfway Up the Hudson.Heh. I am actually name-checked in the Hyde Park one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 There are pictures of my family's house is in the Enfield Connecticut book. It was built in 1763 by the first town doctor to give small pox vaccinations. Later it was an inn and played a part in the town's history during Paul Revere's ride.Heh. I am actually name-checked in the Hyde Park one."Rock stars". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
markosis Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I got one of those for my grandmother last Christmas about farming in South Jersey, as that was what she grew up around, and she loved it. I really like those books, as well as anything to do with the history of the area I live. Its nice to know what was here before we came along. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArcadiaPublishing Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Hey guys! We at Arcadia are happy to hear everyone is enjoying the books. Below is a code to use at checkout for 20% off your purchase (good one time only, valid through December 31, 2008). LOCAL08 While you're on the site, you may want to check out our latest product. Arcadia just released 2009 calendars that can be found at the link below:Arcadia Publishing 2009 Calendars You can also sign up for our Regional History e-mail newsletters while you're shopping around. It's a great way to receive exclusive offers and news about featured titles. Thanks so much for your interest! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Oooo, discount. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 My friend wrote one for Rocky Point in RI! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I've been meaning to get the Belleville one. The only reason I haven't - and this is so silly - is because it's 1814-1914. My house was built in 1928, as was most of my immediate neighborhood. That discount might change things, though. I don't even know where to begin on the St. Louis books. So many I'd love to have! Cool! I just checked and there's one about Sedalia, Missouri, where I grew up. I definitely need that one. I'm familiar with the author; I remember her coming to my classes when I was a kid to talk about local history. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Funny you revived this thread today... yesterday the author of Chicago's Polish Downtown was a guest speaker in my public history class. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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