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Havana Before Castro : When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground by Peter Moruzzi (2008, Trade Paperback)
AlibrisBooks (462253)
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US $80.19
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Condition:
New Trade paperback
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherGibbs Smith, Publisher
ISBN-101423603672
ISBN-139781423603672
eBay Product ID (ePID)65667052
Product Key Features
Book TitleHavana before Castro : When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground
Number of Pages256 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2008
TopicCaribbean & West Indies, Caribbean & West Indies / Cuba, Customs & Traditions
IllustratorYes
GenreTravel, Social Science, History
AuthorPeter Moruzzi
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height0.9 in
Item Weight47.6 Oz
Item Length11 in
Item Width9 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2008-008152
ReviewsA fascinating look at Havana, visually rich with hundreds of photos and other unique images, this addition to the literature on one of the world's urban architectural treasures is authored by an architectural historian. Moruzzi's fluid text embellishes the illustrations, drawn mostly from his own collection. Havana enjoys a captivating history, and the legacy of gambling, hotels, drugs, sex, and nightlife makes for an unparalleled reading experience. Moruzzi emphasizes the building boom of the 1950s, when American mob characters benefited from President Fulgencio Batista's corrupt regime and tourists flocked to the enchanted island a mere 90 miles from America, helped by airlines and cruise lines offering tour packages to Havana. The vivid descriptions of casinos and hotels, many still standing, bring a lost era to life. This attractive book is written for a popular audience but is highly recommended for academic as well as public libraries.
Dewey Edition22
Number of Volumes1 vol.
Dewey Decimal972.9106/3
Table Of ContentPreface 6 Acknowledgments 8 Prologue 9 Introduction 10 From Spanish Colony to Cuban Republic 12 Sugar, Rum, and Cigars 24 Havana between the World Wars 34 The Tragedy of Cuban Politics 54 Cuba's Postwar Tourist Explosion 64 Drinking, Dining, and Dancing 78 Tropicana 106 Havana at Night 124 Life as a Habanero 140 Cuba's Incredible Music Scene 158 Havana and the Mob 170 Havana Riviera 182 Habana Hilton 202 Havana's Other Fabulous Hotels 220 Havana Modern 234 New Year's 1958 and Beyond 244 Bibliography 252 Index 254 Photo Credits 256
SynopsisFeaturing hundreds of vintage photographs, postcards, brochures, and other materials evocative of time and place, Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground documents how the city of Havana evolved from Prohibition haven and rich man's playground to a heady blend of glittering nightclubs, outrageous cabarets, all-night bars, and backstreet brothels. Here, captured in one amazing book, is the drama, passion, intrigue, and opulence of a legendary city during its heyday-beforethe Castro dictatorship re-imagined the country and Americans were banned from travel to this tropical paradise. An architectural historian by profession, Peter Moruzzi is an acknowledged expert on mid-century Modern architecture and design. He is the founder of the Palm Springs Modern Committee, an internationally recognized historic preservation organization, and the writer/director of Desert Holiday, a documentary film chronicling the history of Palm Springs as seen through vintage postcards. He resides in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles and in Palm Springs., Through vintage and contemporary photographs, brochures, postcards, and artifacts evocative of time and place, Havana Before Castro tells the story of the city that was the most popular exotic destination for Americans during the forty years between World War I and Castro's revolution. See how Havana evolved from America's Prohibition haven and rich man's playground to a heady blend of glittering nightclubs, outrageous cabarets, all-night bars, and backstreet brothels. Visit Havana's seamy Shanghai Theatre as well as its glamorous Tropicana, Montmartre, and Sans Souci nightclubs. Linger at La Floridita -- the cradle of the daiquiri cocktail (one of Hemingway's favorite watering holes) -- rub elbows with Frank Sinatra at Sloppy Joe's Bar, and learn why Cuban cigars remain the world's most highly prized. Follow the parade of corrupt presidents who, along with American mobsters such a Meyer Lansky, welcomed the mass tourism that led to Havana becoming a tropical Vegas swirling in a haze of rum and cigars, backed by a conga beat.
LC Classification NumberF1799.H34M67 2008
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- 23 Jun, 2025
Great book with awesome pictures and int...
Great book with awesome pictures and interesting historical facts.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 10 Jun, 2021
Havana Before Castro
Just Great ,I can not stop reading or looking at the pictures of Cuba Before CastroVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 16 May, 2018
Sad ...
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
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