Description
Book SynopsisEach of the nearly 100 essays in
Insight Philadelphia tells a succinct, compelling, and little-known tale of the city’s past. Lavishly illustrated with archival images, these stories bring to life histories that range from quirky to tragic, and give readers fascinating new insights into the City of Brotherly Love.
Trade Review"Kenneth Finkel is Philadelphia’s best historian and a virtuoso story teller. With graceful words and memorable old photographs, his essays transport us to forgotten moments when, we learn with surprise and delight, big things happened." -- David B. Brownlee * Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania *
"In this wide-ranging and informative tour of Philadelphia past and present, drawn from his popular blog posts, Kenneth Finkel offers witty and often gently irreverent glimpses of the city's colorful people and places." -- Elizabeth Milroy * Drexel University *
"From a city long overshadowed by the Liberty Bell, Kenneth Finkel pries tantalizing pieces of a past little known or even remembered that shape Philadelphia today. 'Place matters,' he argues. And then proves it—again and again—with his trademark wit and insight." -- Rick Nichols * journalist and lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania *
"No one knows the iconic as well as the forgotten nooks and crannies of Philadelphia and its history better than Kenneth Finkel. Inspired by evocative archival photographs, these lively, thought-provoking essays connect the past to the present of a great city." -- Kathleen A. Foster * The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., senior curator of American Art, and director, Center for American Art *
"To honor Philly's past, we don't need an old-school museum," by Kenneth Finkel * Philadelphia Inquirer *
"From Blog Post to Book: An Interview with Kenneth Finkel" * Temple.edu *
"A 1918 ‘race war’ and its ties to Philadelphia’s present" by Avi Wolfman-Arent * WHYY *
"100 years ago, South Philadelphia saw violent race riots," by Kenneth Finkel * Philadelphia Inquirer *
"Celebrating our history requires seeing our history, warts and all," by Kenneth Finkel * Philadelphia Inquirer *
"New Book Gives Insight Into Uncovering Philly History" by Mickey Herr * Hidden City Philadelphia *
"Recommended." * Choice *
PA Books on PCN “Insight Philadelphia: Historical Essays Illustrated” with Kenneth Finkel * PA Books *
"This book is alive and well; a cornucopia of the arcane and the obvious tightly constructed and tailor-made for the stop-and-go reader....The book is much more than this isolated specimen of sprightly sentence construction. There is a broad spectrum of social and historical issues confronted and succinctly analyzed." * Speckled Paw Coffee *
"Finkel offers a well-written and refreshing work bringing Philadelphia’s past and present to life. His meticulous attention to detail, storytelling, and photographic images situates the reader in an imaginary ambience of traveling the city’s streets and old neighborhoods. Its contribution to historical scholarship lies in uncovering some of the lost stories and rediscoveries of the past contained in hundreds of thousands of historical photographs."
* Pennsylvania History *
"White violence and Black protests during the 1918 flu have a lesson for today" by Kristen Rogers * KCTV-5 (Kansas City) *
"White violence and Black protests during the 1918 flu have a lesson for today," by Kristen Rogers * CNN.com *
"Kenneth Finkel is Philadelphia’s best historian and a virtuoso story teller. With graceful words and memorable old photographs, his essays transport us to forgotten moments when, we learn with surprise and delight, big things happened." -- David B. Brownlee * Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania *
"In this wide-ranging and informative tour of Philadelphia past and present, drawn from his popular blog posts, Kenneth Finkel offers witty and often gently irreverent glimpses of the city's colorful people and places." -- Elizabeth Milroy * Drexel University *
"From a city long overshadowed by the Liberty Bell, Kenneth Finkel pries tantalizing pieces of a past little known or even remembered that shape Philadelphia today. 'Place matters,' he argues. And then proves it—again and again—with his trademark wit and insight." -- Rick Nichols * journalist and lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania *
"No one knows the iconic as well as the forgotten nooks and crannies of Philadelphia and its history better than Kenneth Finkel. Inspired by evocative archival photographs, these lively, thought-provoking essays connect the past to the present of a great city." -- Kathleen A. Foster * The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., senior curator of American Art, and director, Center for American Art *
"To honor Philly's past, we don't need an old-school museum," by Kenneth Finkel * Philadelphia Inquirer *
"From Blog Post to Book: An Interview with Kenneth Finkel" * Temple.edu *
"A 1918 ‘race war’ and its ties to Philadelphia’s present" by Avi Wolfman-Arent * WHYY *
"100 years ago, South Philadelphia saw violent race riots," by Kenneth Finkel * Philadelphia Inquirer *
"Celebrating our history requires seeing our history, warts and all," by Kenneth Finkel * Philadelphia Inquirer *
"New Book Gives Insight Into Uncovering Philly History" by Mickey Herr * Hidden City Philadelphia *
"Recommended." * Choice *
PA Books on PCN “Insight Philadelphia: Historical Essays Illustrated” with Kenneth Finkel * PA Books *
"This book is alive and well; a cornucopia of the arcane and the obvious tightly constructed and tailor-made for the stop-and-go reader....The book is much more than this isolated specimen of sprightly sentence construction. There is a broad spectrum of social and historical issues confronted and succinctly analyzed." * Speckled Paw Coffee *
"Finkel offers a well-written and refreshing work bringing Philadelphia’s past and present to life. His meticulous attention to detail, storytelling, and photographic images situates the reader in an imaginary ambience of traveling the city’s streets and old neighborhoods. Its contribution to historical scholarship lies in uncovering some of the lost stories and rediscoveries of the past contained in hundreds of thousands of historical photographs."
* Pennsylvania History *
"White violence and Black protests during the 1918 flu have a lesson for today" by Kristen Rogers * KCTV-5 (Kansas City) *
"White violence and Black protests during the 1918 flu have a lesson for today," by Kristen Rogers * CNN.com *
Table of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1 – DEFINING THE CITY
CHAPTER 2 – THE NEIGHBORHOODS
CHAPTER 3 - ARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN
CHAPTER 4 – PRESERVATION & STEWARDSHIP
CHAPTER 5 - IMPROVEMENTS
CHAPTER 6 – INNOVATION & INDUSTRY
CHAPTER 7 – FOOD
CHAPTER 8 - FIRES & DISASTERS
CHAPTER 9 – RIOTS, UPHEAVAL & PROTESTS
CHAPTER 10 - PERFORMANCE & ENTERTAINMENT
CHAPTER 11 - ART, PUBLIC ART & LANDMARKS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
