Brooklyn Then & Now

I bought this book as a gift for my boss who grew up in Brooklyn. He absolutely loved it! He couldn't put it down, and every page brought back memories to him. The pictures are beautiful, and the text is informative.

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.

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!

I was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and so enjoyed looking at pictures of places I knew as a child-- a nice contrast of way back when and today. My family lived in North & South Williamsburg from the 1820s to 1920s before heading to Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and Glendale. I really enjoyed seeing the photos along with an explanation of how the neighborhoods have changed. I bought an extra book to give to a friend who grew up in Sheepshead Bay/Marine Park/Coney Island. A nice compendium. :>)

The greatest borough of the greatest city on Earth deserves its own special history, and Marcia Reiss has provided it. BROOKLYN THEN AND NOW is a reminder that Manhattan is not the only place that underwent enormous changes over the last century and a half. Capturing Brooklyn in recent photos and juxtaposing them with shots of the same area 50, 75, 100 or 125 earlier, dramatizes the growth that Brooklyn (the fourth largest city in America before the 1898 consolidation) experienced. It's too bad that you can't "take a look inside" this book on this website, but take my word for it, it's jammed with great photos!