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The Book had great detail about New Haven and it's industrial history. It is a perfect book for anyone who likes New Haven's history.
This is a big heavy book about the industrial history of New Haven. I have wanted it since it was published in 2004 but I usually wait to see if an expensive book will be put on sale at a reduced price, but I never saw this book on sale at a reduced price in the six years since it was published. When I saw this book in an Ebay auction with a minimum bid of $4.95, I immediately sent in a high bid of $20.00, which I believe is half the original retail price, and was happy to win it for $13.50. When you make a high bid on Ebay, they don't post it. They just increase your bids in increments up to your limit, so that if your bid is $20.00 and the second highest bid is $13.00, you win the item for $13.50, the next increment. This is great because the other bidders never know what your high bid is, unless they exceed it. This is a great book if you are interested in the industrial history of this City. New Haven was unusual because of the great diversity of its industries. It was the home of a great gun manufacturer (Winchester), clocks and watches (New Haven Clock Co.), locks and hardware (Sargent & Co.), corsets (Strouse Adler Co.), and many others. The Authors expertly explore each of them in a captivating way that makes reading this book a great experience, almost like being taken back in time to the days when thousands were employed in these industries. There is a chapter about trying to save New Haven's industrial heritage in a cultural climate that would most likely destroy it. We in New Haven should learn a valuable lesson from this chapter, because heretofore redevelopment in New Haven has been interpreted by the politicians as a license to demolish every building and start over with the construction of new buildings. It is hoped that they can learn something from this book too, especially the fact that restoring old buildings makes a city far more attractive than destroying the buildings. In Portland, ME, for example, a city about the same size as New Haven, the entire old commercial downtown area along the water-front was beautifully restored and the result is that thousands often descend on that City to see and shop in the old restored area. These crowds have to eat, shop, be entertained, and provided shelter. As a result, the saving the heritage approach, rather than the demolition approach, is the key to success, both culturally and financially. We can only hope that the authors' message will be heard by those in power in time to save what's left of our city. This type of book will never make a best sellers list, but it is fascinating reading to anyone interested in the history of our city.Read full review