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.

A delightful collection of vintage and antique postcards of New York. This book presents a rare collection of more than 100 of the best vintage New York City postcards, providing a snapshot of how much the Big Apple has changed—and how much has remained recognizably the same. During the early years of the twentieth century, postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of Manhattan snapping images and documenting landmarks and important new architectural masterpieces, such as the Singer Building (1908), the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower (1909), and the Woolworth Building (1913)—each of which succeeded the other as the world’s tallest building at the time of their respective completion. Also celebrated were the engineering feats of the Brooklyn Bridge and the elevated trains and early subway, as well as popular amusements such as the original Madison Square Garden and the Hippodrome, which occupied an entire city block at Longacre Square—since renamed Times Square. Scenic views of the city from a distance were equally popular—and in fact led to the coining of the word "skyline" in 1896. This charming keepsake volume is the perfect souvenir for architecture and history buffs and makes a wonderful gift.

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Baltimore, Maryland, showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available.

The beloved gift format that is 100 postcards in a box has never been more beautiful. The images include 100 rare portraits of exotic flowers, cacti and succulents from the world-renowned collection of the NY Botanical Garden. Printed on lush, uncoated stock to mimic the original paintings, these brilliantly colored postacrds can be mailed, framed or used in craft projects.

In those days the public wanted us to live like kings and queens. So we did . . . and why not? --Gloria Swanson

Manhattan's Chinatown is an enclave located in the oldest section of New York City, Manhattan's Lower East Side. For most who reside there, Chinatown serves as the quintessential microcosm. It is a place to do business, buy groceries, and raise families. For many Chinese immigrants, it provides a stepping stone to a perceived better life that may only be achieved through hard work, determination, sacrifice, and assimilation. Chinatown's main sources of income and employment lie in its many restaurants, factories, small shops, and businesses. However, for generations of New Yorkers and visitors, Chinatown represents the very embodiment of exotica. With its ancient tenements, temples, fragrant food aromas, neon signs, colorful sites and sounds, and aromatic curio shops, it provides the ultimate journey of the senses, revealing an energetic and vibrant world. Through vintage postcards, Manhattan's Chinatown chronicles how this community has continually evolved over 150 years.

Weegee held a mirror up to New York and revealed a city that was provocative and gripping, while at the same time managing to capture the City's heart. --Miles Barth, International Center of Photography.