Wonderful concept, sometimes carelessly executed December 9, 2008 Let me say, Brooklyn is my second favorite place on earth (after New Orleans). I have deep personal and family roots there and have collected many historical books on NY's greatest borough.
This book is a wonderful concept. And it offers some truly fantastic photos with great resolution, good printing, etc.
Yet, for all its virtues, this book was somewhat disappointing. Very frequently (almost every shot) the camera is not set to the same exact spot or angle as the original to which it is contrasted. When you look at the photos on facing pages you are often comparing apples to oranges. One old photo of a streetscape shows all three lanes of traffic, while its modern update shows half of a single lane; another photo of the skyscape has barely any sky above the buildings, while the modern update is almost half sky; often whole buildings are cut off the edge of one of the photos, or the second one is taken from a very different angle. SInce the original photos are the given, it would seem to have taken very minimal care to match the same vantage points on the new photos. It just comes off as quickly prepared and lazy, and mars the purpose of the project.
But overall, this is worth having and enjoying. A fun exercise is to travel to the spots in the photographs, book in hand, and look yourself.
Nice book August 5, 2008 This was a nice book which showed some interesting shots of Brooklyn in earlier times alongside more recent shots, sort of like Douglas LeVere's retrospective of Berenice Abbott's 'Changing New York'. I guess I expected a little more from the book. Not that it wasn't good; it just seems incomplete, like there should have been more. The book is more of an appetizer than an entree. The author should have teamed up with Brian Merlis to recreate some of the images from his books. But if you're looking for an overview of how Brooklyn has changed over the past 100 years, this is a decent place to start.
A great look into Brooklyn's past and present. February 8, 2008 Wonderful collection of historical photo's alongside a current day view of the same location. A must have for anyone interested in the history of Brooklyn.
Decent, but a little disappointing February 8, 2007 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I wish I could share the enthusiasm some of the other reviews have, but I found this book somewhat disappointing. There are some interesting shots, yes, but many of them are stock photos you've already seen if you own earlier books on the subject. I also would have preferred less shots of scenes that haven't changed from then to now. Additionally, all the "now" pictures were taken in the summer, so in many instances trees obscure almost the entirety of what the photographer means to showcase. What's the point of that? Why not wait a few months so that the scene is visible? It exemplifies the somewhat slapdash feel of this book.
Sharp, interesting photos October 14, 2006 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This volume bests many other photographic books about Brooklyn because the book format is large and "landscape" shape (the photos measuring 10 x 6.75" inches), the individual photos are sharp (where other books too often have muddy reproduction), the subject matter is interesting, and the captions accurate. I think I know my Brooklyn, as I have explored it for sixty years. I have not yet found an error in the text. Because the author usually positions the camera in the "now" scene close to where it was in the "then" scene, the photos are exceptionally interesting. For instance, page 86 shows the Hanover Club, Bedford and Rodney Street, in 1893. The "now" photo shows it as a yeshiva, with the details of the pedestrian, the "Don't walk" signs, and yellow school bus. A "circa 1908" photo of Times Plaza shows the same Interborough head building (then a fare collection area) that I walked past last month. The author earns extra stars for including people in most photos. This book is far more than a book of Brooklyn buildings. The streets are alive!
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