The Architecture of McKim, Mead & White in Photographs, Plans, and Elevations Book

This book was a MAJOR disappointment for me!

When I think of books that are "Then and Now", they usually show places / landscapes of how they used to look vs how they look today and the pictures are usually taken from the same angle or as close as possible. A little information is provided about the building or land and how it may have been used in olden times vs how it is being used today.

The organization of this book (for the most part) did not show this standard format at all.

We'll start with the pictures -- some were of the same building / site, but most often taken from a completely different angle than the original photo. It's extremely difficult to "picture" (no pun intended) exactly how things have changed (or not) when you're not looking at the photo from the same angle. Also, some pages show the historic photo on the bottom and the more contemporary "view" at the top, while on other pages, things are reversed.

The photos under "Battlefield Sites" were not necessarily taken at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg or even during the Civil War -- some were taken much later.

I think I should be looking at photos of buildings / sites in olden times and how that site looks now. On some pages, the author shows one landscape / building and then shows you the modern building, which is LOCATED SOMEWHERE ELSE in Gettysburg, i.e. the president's (of Gettysburg College) house OR a picture of a church (p.84) in 1853 and the contemporary shot is of a stained-glass window from said church.

Now, switching to the descriptions: Often the descriptions are great, providing lots of historical detail, but often by the time the author gets to telling about how the building / site is being used today, little to no valuable info. is provided. For example, look at Wolf House on page 76 -- The reader learns a bit about the local Lutheran Theological Seminary and why the house was built. At the end of the description is ONE SENTENCE that reads: "The Wolf house today still stands and appears well maintained." Huh? What's it being used for? It's bad enough that the picture is (I believe) at a perpendicular angle from the original.

I will give the author some credit -- some of today's properties may be private and she may not have been able to access the property to get the photographs / information that she needed. However, having said this, I have been to Gettysburg, and I've been there more than once. Places like Spangler's Spring is a tourist attraction. There is absolutely no reason that she could not have taken the new picture from the "original angle".

Like I said, most disappointing. :(