Marvelous Old Mansions: and Other Southern Treasures

Customer Reviews:

Southern Delight.......2007-03-28

This is a terrific collection of southern homes.

I work as both a travel agent and a travel writer with a specialty in southern destinations. Specifically I do southern historical destinations, which always leads to touring old homes. I have a collection of books on mansions and estates but this book is one of my most used.

Sylvia does a great job of giving the background of the home as well as current information. Maybe because Ms. Higginbotham is also a fellow southern belle, she does a much better job of covering homes than most other publications. Most other books give NC one listing (the Biltmore Estate) or if were really lucky two (Tryon Place). Sylvia highlights 17 and includes Old Salem which is a historical Moravian village in Winston-Salem.

I constantly use this book as a reference for my work. It perfect for those who want to travel and see these treasures first hand, or for those who simply want to be arm chair travelers.

Great tour guide.......2005-09-16

I bought this book thinking it would be more of a coffee table book, fully of glossy pages of photos. It is not that. It is a book that is useful if you plan to visit the South, as it gives detail into addresses, times and admission prices of old plantations. The pages are not glossy, nor in colour. More like an oversized novel.

Book Description

Special collection of photos of Artists, Art Critics, Collectors, Art Curators, Dealers - spanning 1950's through 1990's -

Over 660 black and white images - yearbook format -

Introduction by Robert Pincus-Witten, Wayne Koestenbaum and Mark Srand.

Customer Reviews:

A disappointment.......2000-02-21

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is a skilled portrait photographer, and we've seen his work in magazines as well as museums everywhere. A monograph of his work has been long overdue.

Unfortunately, we are still waiting for a GOOD book of his work.

This book denies us the opportunity to see the pictures presented to their best advantage. "Art World" is jam-packed with hundreds of good portraits, but they are printed very small, six to a page, forcing the viewer fantasize about the precise detail and deliciously long tonal range that surely exists in the originals. The publisher is either clueless or cruel -- I'm not sure which.

Greenfield-Sanders' first book should have been a monumental publishing event -- instead it's just an unimaginative catalog sure to frustrate those of us who admire his work.

One of a kind.......2000-02-17

A stunning collection of portraits that spans the art world. Greenfield-Sanders is gifted in his photographic technique and in his ability to elicit personal qualities in his subjects. If you've ever wanted to know who populates the art world, then this is a book that is indispensible and literally unrivaled. Enjoy!

Book Description

This fascinating book explores the life of the extraordinary woman who became the pioneer in the photographic world.

Average customer rating:

A terrific book for fans of the original variety store (may she rest in peace)

Best Nostalgic Book I've Read

Brought back my love for malted milk...

Memories of a Depression Kid

Stepping back in time

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-and-Dime
Karen Plunkett-Powell
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Turn of the Century | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece

When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's: Memories, Pictures, and Recipes from a Very Special Restaurant Empire

The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York: A Guide to Century-Old Establishments in the City (Historic Shops & Restaurants Series)

The American Drive-In Restaurant (Motorbooks Classic)

New York World's Fair, The 1964-1965 (NY) (Images of America)

ASIN: 0312206704

Amazon.com

In our age of nationwide discount retailers, Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-and-Dime provides an entertaining look back at one of retail's most successful pioneers, F.W. Woolworth, and his empire of department stores that defined the shopping experience for millions over the course of its 118-year existence. Woolworth, considered by his first boss to be the "worst salesman in the world," overcame repeated failure and financial hardship to open his first store in 1879 in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. Through trial and error, the young Woolworth learned that selling large quantities of low-priced merchandise led to profit. Insightfully, Woolworth made his customers feel "rich"--and generated immense customer loyalty by offering products at affordable, nickel-and-dime prices. The Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan, the tallest in the world upon its completion in 1913, embodied the strength of the retail empire that, at its peak, consisted of over 10,000 stores worldwide. The corporation was eventually sold in 1997.

Remembering Woolworth's combines personal testimony, black-and-white and color photos, and period graphics to create a friendly, scrapbook feel. Karen Plunkett-Powell adeptly explores the personal and professional sides of F.W. Woolworth and the success of his "Red-Fronts" both domestically and abroad. She is at her best, however, in recapturing the particulars of the Woolworth shopping experience: the counter girls, seasonal traditions, collectibles, and lunch counters. At times historically light and colloquial, Remembering Woolworth's nevertheless brings back to life one of retail's most influential entrepreneurs and one of the world's most endearing department stores. --Bertina Loeffler-Sedlack

Book Description

Millions of Americans have fond memories of shopping at Woolworth's, wandering the aisles in search of a humble spool Woolco thread, festive Christmas decorations, a goldfish or parakeet, or a blue bottle of Evening in Paris perfume. And who could forget the special treat of grilled-cheese sandwich or ice-cream sundae at the famous lunch counter?

These and countless other memories are celebrated in Remembering Woolworth's. Packed with photos, first-hand remembrances, vivid anecdotes, and a lively, well-researched narrative, the book tells the story of how a poor potato farmer named Frank Woolworth created a merchandising empire that touched the lives of Americans in small towns, big cities, and everywhere in between. Chapters cover the store's humble beginnings, surviving the Great Depression, the civil rights sit-ins, Woolworth's around the globe, the popularity of Woolworth's collectibles, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

A terrific book for fans of the original variety store (may she rest in peace).......2006-10-03

I came across the paperback edition of this book a couple of years ago and snapped it up at once. Major kudos to Ms. Plunkett-Powell for what is obviously a labor of love, painstakingly researched and exhaustively documented, full of great stories, equally great photos and reminiscences from loyal Woolworth's customers. Today's variety store chains, including Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree, owe their very existence to the groundbreaking Woolworth's five-and-dime store chain and its contemporary competitors, such as Ben Franklin, McCrory's and S. S. Kresge (the precursor of Kmart). This book makes it abundantly clear why, as well as bringing back tons of wonderful memories of Woolworth's sheer variety of merchandise, its friendly and helpful sales staff and its dearly-missed lunch counters full of delicious meals, snacks and treats, all of which I enjoyed as a boy in my hometown of Lafayette, LA, with my late maternal grandmother, and later as an adult in New Orleans, which had not one but two Woolworth stores on its main shopping drag, downtown Canal Street. That its later owners allowed it to be so mismanaged and finally killed is a scandal to the jaybirds...but at least we have Karen's book to help us remember it.

Best Nostalgic Book I've Read.......2005-12-23

Without question, the best written book on the nostalgic craze I have read. The book is superb with photos of all kinds.My favorite is the lunch counter chapter. Thumbs up to the author who cuts Woolworth's no slack in the poor wages paid to the counter girls and the refusal to serve blacks food in the white only lunch counter sections, which caused the well known sit-ins in 1960. This book would also make a nice gift to anyone. Hope author comes out with another nostalgic book.

Brought back my love for malted milk..........2002-01-26

This book brought back so many memories - and I'm only 41! It's
fun to read, with a layout that mixes photos, anecdotes, drawings, and personal reminscences - almost like a magazine. Reading this book makes you realize that Woolworth's was everything Kmart and Wal-Mart are not - charming, inviting, and much more than a place to get a bargain. Author Karen Plunkett-Powell captures the Americana, the nostalgia, and the details that make us all smile when we remember Woolworth's. For me, it was about recalling the malted milks my aunt used to buy me at the counter when I was small, and the quick gifts I used to pick up for friends and my children from the Woolworth's that used to be located downstairs from an office building where I worked for many years. So many of our everyday experiences nowadays are empty -- do yourself a favor and travel back to a simpler yet more meaningful time by reading this book or buying it for a friend. It's not a typical boring history book -- and it makes a GREAT gift for the senior citizen in your life who you never know what to get for a present -grandma, a relative in a nursing home, a neighbor who signs for your packages or whatever - even if that person is not the type to sit down and read a book, they'll have so much fun leafing through it.

Memories of a Depression Kid.......2001-07-31

Beautifully written. Well researched. Excellent sequence. Marvelous layout. Well presented. Not at all like the history books of yore, or the dull stuff by corporate hacks. "Remembering Woolworth's" brought back memories of the Bayonne, NJ, store where I got caught shoplifting. Only books, of course, because I was a literate young hoodlum. I think they called them "Big Little Books." Very bulky under a 10 yr. old's jacket.That's why I got caught, and learned my lesson. No police; just shocked and disappointed immigrant parents. Still, I went on to a brilliant career in crime.

Stepping back in time.......2001-06-19

Reading Karen's book, "Remembering Woolworth's" is an opportunity to step back in time for those of us lucky enough to have known Woolworth's while growing up. I loved visiting the fish and canaries, drinking milkshakes at the counter, and looking through the make-up dept. Reading her book is like strolling down the aisles again, bringing back a flood of nostalgic memories! Alas, a shopping experience too soon gone in our American culture. It is fascinating to know the history and the vision behind this successful business. In depth research and a great read!

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-And-Dime

Average customer rating:

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-And-Dime
Karen (Author) Plunkett-Powell
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTDU0Y

Average customer rating:

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-And-Dime
Karen Plunkett-Powell
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTOOT0

Average customer rating:

Remembering Woolworths A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five and Dime
KAREN PLUNKETT-POWELL
Manufacturer: St Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JZV2O4

Customer Reviews:

Ground-breaking, but outdated.......2002-10-21

Duby's work was ground-breaking in the 1960s, but has now become outdated. That is not to say that his arguments and analyses have proven wrong or been supersceded. It is outdated simply because it has been incorporated into much more detailed and comprehensive accounts written in the last thirty years (particularly by Norman Pounds).

That does not mean that this book is not worth reading. Duby's piece still provides a unique perspective. Although the work as a whole has been incorporated into much bigger books, no one has focused on the same characteristics that he has. Duby writes wonderfully on the gift and plunder economy, the importance of the medieval world-view to economic growth, and the change in technology. Duby's work is most valuable, however, for the image it creates. Duby follows in the French tradition of writing "impressionist histories." In this way Duby gives an excellent idea of what it was like to live in the early medieval period. In many ways The Early Growth of the European Economy is the perfect companion to Marc Bloch's Feudal Society.

This book is still worth reading because of the focus it has and the impression it gives. At under three hundred pages, it is a quick read, and provides an excellent introduction to the topic.

Medieval Gift Economy.......2001-09-05

Includes an excellent section on the medieval gift economy, something which many authors have relegated to anthropology of the developing world. He is one of the few to show the pattern of looting and giving--to knights, to God, to King--that solidified social relations and acted as the road to power in the old social order.

A great work.......1999-12-16

This is without doubt one of the best history books written in the twentieth century. A work of great depth and breadth, it shows a master historian at his best. The analysis is rich and complex; just about every page is rich with insight and often turns upside down some old conventional wisdom (cf., for but one example, his assessement of the positive role the Vikings had on the redistribution of wealth and on economic quickening in general in Europe). This is a veritable tour de force, and one that should be required reading for anyone seriously interested in medieval history. Of course, some material is dated, and on some topics the author changed his mind later on in his career, but that does not detract from the force and brilliance of this classic.

sophisticated analysis of a complex period.......1999-11-05

I am a medieval economic historian and I have found that Duby's interpretation of this period is one of careful scholarship in primary sources and a sophistication of outlook which transcends some of the sterility of the historiography of this period, particularly the debate over the Pirenne Thesis.

If you want to begin to understand the economic history of this period and also would like to know where to start in looking deeper, I can recommend no better book than Duby's.

An old and archaïc book.......1998-07-23

Written in the sixties, this book wants to show how the middle age was dark, poor and uncivilized. Duby writes well, but his feeling about this period empeaches him to be honnest and to see the quality of certain things, like carolingian administration for instance. Duby wrote this essay to show how dark was the society before the 13th century, before "le temps des cathedrales" on which he did a better work...

The Early Growth of the European Economy - Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century

Average customer rating:

The Early Growth of the European Economy - Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century
Georges Duby
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VZETPG

The early growth of the European economy;: Warriors and peasants from the seventh to the twelfth century (World economic history)

Average customer rating:

The early growth of the European economy;: Warriors and peasants from the seventh to the twelfth century (World economic history)
Georges Duby
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0297766635

Average customer rating:

The Early Growth of the European Economy: Warriors and peasants from the seventh to the twelfth century.
Georges DUBY
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS2G28

Book Description

During the Second World War, flotillas of the Royal Navy's Motor Torpedo Boats and other coastal forces fought a deadly war for control of the English Channel and the North Sea. These small, fast boats attacked enemy convoys, escorted freighters, landed secret agents and even raided enemy ports. Unsung heroes, these craft and their tiny crews helped stave off defeat in the dark days of 1940. The same vessels then took the fight to other waters, and by the end of the war, British MTB's had seen service in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and the Far East. This book examines the development and operation of these frail, sleek little warships, and describes the way they were manned and how they fought.

Book Description

Trends in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia have an important bearing on north-south security relations. The author examines internal and external stresses that may impact those relations.

Average customer rating:

birds of forest,yard, and thicket

Absolutely excellent!!!

Recommended guide to bird behavior

Excellent illustrations by Amelia Hansen!

Birds of Forest, Yard, and Thicket
John Eastman
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Ornithology | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Birds of Lake, Pond and Marsh: Water and Wetland Birds of Eastern North America

Birds of Field and Shore: Grassland and Shoreline Birds of Eastern North America

The Book of Forest and Thicket: Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers of Eastern North America

The Book of Field and Roadside: Open-Country Weeds, Trees, and Wildflowers of Eastern North America

The Book of Swamp and Bog: Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers of the Eastern Freshwater Wetlands

ASIN: 0811726800

Customer Reviews:

birds of forest,yard, and thicket.......2006-12-13

interesting and informative,fairly good variety of birds including the ones most likely to be seen around the yard, bushes,etc.Can also be used for a brief reference occasionally, depending on the season and location.

Absolutely excellent!!!.......2003-11-23

We live with lots of forest and thickets (for better or worse) all around our house so it was so great to find this book! It gave me a better appreciation for the thickets as a valuable habitat but also this book has such great information on the birds themselves. We are lucky to have some resident Brown Thrashers that live here and this past summer one oft he young fledged a bit early. I was worried about it but was able to look it up in the book and find that they nest in thickets and often close to the ground or on the ground. So, since the parents were right nearby (making quite a scene) I sent the baby back into the thickets where the parents were and they seemed to find it and all was well. Without this book I would have been looking up in ther trees for a possible nest that it fell out of. Anyway, its a terrific reference - Each bird entry has a brief intro paragrapgh with some neat nuggets of info on the bird. This is followed by close relatives (which you also might see in the thicket/forest area), followed by bird behaviors (in the spring, summer, fall and winter), followed by nesting info like number of eggs, nesting habits, ecology such as the type of habitat they prefer. The section is concluded usually with a section called "focus" where some special info is provided. Excellent book that has really helped me to get to know and understand the birds that we share our little sanctuary of home with. Definitely recommend this to anyone living in or frequently hiking in this sort of habitat.

Recommended guide to bird behavior.......1999-04-29

I've owned this book a while and find and it to be an excellent source of information on individual species of birds. For some of us, just learning to recognize birds just isn't enough. Behavior is very interesting also, and this book contains interesting informative information on different birds. This is a must have for the library of every birder.

Excellent illustrations by Amelia Hansen!.......1999-03-18

The best thing about this comprehensive and well-researched reference is the illustrations by Amelia Hansen. If the publisher had only printed these pen-and-ink drawings larger, the book would have been more helpful. Hansen obviously understands the way birds move, rest and interact.

Average customer rating:

Birds, Forest, Yard, & Thicket
John Eastman
Manufacturer: Stackpole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NPCM26

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books