Rating: 
Summary: A fabulous guide to rediscovering the history of St. Louis
Review: As a lifelong resident of St. Louis who was wary of being downtown except for Cardinals baseball games, I and many others like me are just now discovering what a historic gem our downtown are truly is. After picking up the "walking tour of downtown" book published by Charles Brennan a year or so ago, I began to appreciate the beautiful buildings that are being renovated for lofts and condos. Hungry to learn more, I found a brilliant web site called builtstlouis.net with synopses of many downtown structures. I highly recommend that site to anyone interested in the history of downtown St. Louis. Finding that site simply made me more curious about downtown, so I turned to Amazon.com, and found this spectacular book that helps put things into perspective when comparing the way St. Louis was at the turn of the 20th century compared to how it appears today. Much of the grand history of St. Louis still exists, and I urge anyone wanting to know more to buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: A fabulous guide to rediscovering the history of St. Louis
Review: As a lifelong resident of St. Louis who was wary of going downtown except for Cardinals baseball games, I and many others like me are just now discovering what a historic gem our downtown truly is.
After picking up the "walking tour of downtown" book published by Charles Brennan a year or so ago, I began to appreciate the beautiful buildings that are being renovated for lofts and condos. Hungry to learn more, I found a brilliant web site called builtstlouis.net with synopses of many downtown structures. I highly recommend that site to anyone interested in the history of downtown St. Louis.
Finding that site simply made me more curious about downtown, so I turned to Amazon.com, and found this spectacular book that helps put things into perspective when comparing the way St. Louis was at the turn of the 20th century compared to how it appears today. Much of the grand history of St. Louis still exists, and I urge anyone wanting to know more to buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: CAPTIVATING * BEAUTIFUL* GREAT GIFT IDEA !!!
Review: BOUGHT THIS FOR MY SONINLAW AND AFTER SEEING, WANTED IT FOR MYSELF. AM ORDERING ANOTHER FOR MY MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY, AND MY HUSBAND WOULDN'T MIND ONE FOR OUR COFFEE TABLE EITHER. KIDS CAN ENJOY THE CHANGES VIA OLD DAYS ON THE LEFT AND NOW ON THE RIGHT, WITHOUT EVEN READING THE HISTORY. BOUGHT OURS 'USED' AND IS TOTALLY WORTH IT. AM ON MY WAY TO ORDER ANOTHER.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent compilation
Review: Growing up in Saint Louis and having recently moved back, this has made me appreciate my city for what it once was and what it may become. This book is well put together and the research is obviously impeccable. It has no social agenda or views as many historical books do, but it just shows exactly what it says, "then and now". It was very enjoyable. The best gift I can give fellow St. Louisan's for any occasion.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent compilation
Review: Growing up in Saint Louis and having recently moved back, this has made me appreciate my city for what it once was and what it may become. This book is well put together and the research is obviously impeccable. It has no social agenda or views as many historical books do, but it just shows exactly what it says, "then and now". It was very enjoyable. The best gift I can give fellow St. Louisan's for any occasion.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing look into history
Review: Having been born and raised around St. Louis, it was fascinating seeing sights I was accustomed to, as they were originally. The city has quite a rich, and diverse history, and it is well displayed in these photographs. The photos tell the story well, and there is not alot of text to hamper your viewing enjoyment. Not that reading is bad, but that is not what the book is about. The layout of the book seems to work very well. The pictures are a nice size, and suprisingly clear. I would have loved to see more pics of the Worlds Fair, but then it would lose the city flavour, so all in all I think it is a good balance. I would recommend the book to anyone that enjoys getting a feeling of what it was like to actually be there in those days, every history buffs dream!
Rating: 
Summary: A narrowly focused, highly selective depiction of St. Louis
Review: I am a fan of "then and now" books, having read excellent ones for Boston, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Philadelphia. When well done, they can provide the reader with a good sense of how a city has changed over time, what has been lost, what has been gained. St. Louis Then and Now does not do this. It focuses on a relatively small area of downtown St. Louis, with tight shots that preclude the reader from seeing the decay that has plagued my old home town for the past half century. Even worse, the author has a picture of the original Sportsmens Park, home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns baseball teams, but instead of showing a picture of the site were it used to be for the "now" portion, she instead presents a picture of Busch Stadium, located in a far different neighborhood. This is the only instance in the entire book where she does not follow her basic guidelines of taking a shot from the same spot. Had she done so, the reader would have seen the ravaged neighborhood of North St. Louis. If she and her publisher wish to present an idealized, artificially upbeat set of images for St. Louis, then it should not be titled "then and now," and promise the reader a no-holds-barred look at the real city.
Rating:
Summary: A narrowly focused, highly selective depiction of St. Louis
Review: I am a fan of "then and now" books, having read excellent ones for Boston, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Philadelphia. When well done, they can provide the reader with a good sense of how a city has changed over time, what has been lost, what has been gained. St. Louis Then and Now does not do this. It focuses on a relatively small area of downtown St. Louis, with tight shots that preclude the reader from seeing the decay that has plagued my old home town for the past half century. Even worse, the author has a picture of the original Sportsmens Park, home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns baseball teams, but instead of showing a picture of the site were it used to be for the "now" portion, she instead presents a picture of Busch Stadium, located in a far different neighborhood. This is the only instance in the entire book where she does not follow her basic guidelines of taking a shot from the same spot. Had she done so, the reader would have seen the ravaged neighborhood of North St. Louis. If she and her publisher wish to present an idealized, artificially upbeat set of images for St. Louis, then it should not be titled "then and now," and promise the reader a no-holds-barred look at the real city.
Rating:
Summary: Great look at the history of St. Louis
Review: St. Louis - Then & Now is wonderful and very enlightening. The photographs are beautifully captioned to give the reader all the interesting facts of their history. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Hours of enjoyable study
Review: This book gave me hours of enjoyable entertainment. Born and raised in the St. Louis area, I found myself studying every detail in each contrasted photo. It's remarkable to see how much landscape can change throughout the years as new construction buries layer after layer of history. Great way to preserve what is so often forgotten in the modern world and to get a glimpse of a city's beginnings.
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