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LIST: books about Columbus

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Started 4 years ago by wildgoose77
Latest reply from mitchellosu

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wildgoose77
Not at all creative.
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I just thought it might be useful to put together a list of books about the city. Feel free to add any others that you think might be appropriate.
Kissing in Columbus by Stephens, Poleon, and Schieber
Columbus: A Photographic Portrait by Randall Schieber
German Columbus by Darbie and Recchie
Baseball in Columbus by James Toole
Columbus: The Story of a City by Ed Lentz
Columbus: The Discovery City by Harry Franken
High Stakes: Big Time Sports and Downtown Redevelopment by Curry, Schwirian, and Woldoff
My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber
Day Trips from Columbus by Sandra Gurvis
Columbus, Ohio: A Personal Geography by Henry Hunker
Columbus Ghosts by Robin Smith
Insiders' Guide to Columbus, Ohio by Shawnie Kelley

Posted 4 years ago #
Columbusite
Minneapolis
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Forgotten Columbus
Columbus:1910-1970
Columbus:1860-1910
Historic Photos of Columbus
These are are also good and do a good job of giving you an idea of what Columbus used to look like pre-highway era. The Personal Georaphy one was disappointing since it was written with a cowtown mentality, which is a shame as the author is a professor from OSU.

Posted 4 years ago #
BetsyB
Westgate
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I have almost all of these books, cause I am a little history buff...They are great resources is you are ever interested in knowing the original families, what brought them here, and what Columbus used to look like. I have to admit I have "read" them each more than a few times.

Posted 4 years ago #
PodFive
Vic Village/Short North
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Columbus Vignettes Volumes I-IV are amazing. Bill Arter, who wrote for the Dispatch, did drawings of columbus area buildings and landmarks then wrote about them for a weekly column. They were then compiled into these books. Very cool, although they're hard to find locally.
Architecture: Columbus is another great book about lots and lots of buildings in Columbus, many of which are still standing, and many of which have unfortunately been razed. Its also hard to find, and expensive if you do.
All of these are available at the CML though. I recommend checking them out.

Posted 4 years ago #
Cyclist
Peach District (State of Mind)
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A Fragile Capitol: The First 40 years of Columbus. I am currently reading it .

Posted 4 years ago #
UncommonSense
Hilliard
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Centennial History of Columbus And Franklin County, Ohio by William Alexander Taylor
Published in 1909
This book is scanned and available online in its entirety. Like many such books of its period it is essentially a genealogical resource for leading families of the era. There are some really interesting stories to be found though. I've got a vintage Ohio Centennial History book somewhere, but I seem to have misplaced it and can't remember the exact title. I'll post it if I come across it.

Posted 4 years ago #
UncommonSense
Hilliard
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In fact I was thinking I may scan it and upload it myself if I find it. I'm sure it is public domain, and probably hard to find.

Posted 4 years ago #
Wallis
Northside
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"The Right Man For the Job" by Mike Magnuson. A fish-out-of-water-type of story about a guy working as a delivery/collections driver for a Rent-A-Center-type place in South Linden...recommended.

Posted 4 years ago #
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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"Maybe a Miracle" is a book from a guy named Brian Strause who grew up in Upper Arlington around the same time I did. The novel takes place in U.A. of that time (although I think renamed) complete with descriptions of Chef-O-Nette, a murder that happened around the time, etc.

Posted 4 years ago #
alison

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Columbusite wrote .... The Personal Georaphy one was disappointing since it was written with a cowtown mentality, which is a shame as the author is a professor from OSU....
I'm curious why you say "cowtown mentality" -- I rather enjoyed this book, one of the first histories of Columbus I've read. It's admittedly personal -- but he puts that right in the title. I like that he starts, literally, with the geography of Columbus. I've always been mystified why so much industry seems ot be upwind of the city. I admit, my attention started to wane in the closing chapters, when plucky preservationists launch battle after battle to save landmarks you know are now just surface parking lots.
I like the Arcadia postcard books as a snapshot of the city, but the history in them can be sketchy. (Not just in the Columbus books; I've heard that complaint about the Cincinnati series and others as well.) Meh. I like the pictures anyway.
I enjoyed A Fragile Capitol as well. It was really a great overview of the early days of Columbus. (Commerical transporation on the Scioto -- who knew?) And I highly recommend Nick Taggert's photo history of Columbus, not just because he used ot be my neighbor!
I really liked the Magnuson book, too -- altho' maybe 'enjoyed' is not the right word -- it's pretty bleak! I didn't realize it was set in South Linden. When it first came out, I was living in Short North/VV. The prostitutes were still turning tricks in the alley behind my place, and there was that seedy little strip right around the corner on High St. with Swan's Cleaners, the sign place, and a rental store right. I thought that was Winky's place...
Sitting on my desk right now is Built to Move Millions: Streetcar Building in Ohio, about the development and demise of the lines. Somehow I don't think it's going to be one of my all time favs, but it's worth a read.
When I first moved here in 1991, I was surprised so few people seemed to know (or care) anything about the city's history. I also didn't like the city. But I found the more I read about the history of the city, not just the Woody Hayes/OSU hoopla, the more I like Columbus.

Posted 4 years ago #
Cyclist
Peach District (State of Mind)
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Columbus: A personal Geography
I wrote a thesis about a part of Columbus.

Posted 4 years ago #
mitchellosu
Merion Village
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I haven't read it in a few years, but I loved the tours from the Personal Geography book as well as the Prof.'s ability to describe a place in time. I don't think all of his descriptions aged so well though, in particular the feelings of pride generated by showing the strip malls of Morse Road to out-of-towners.

Posted 4 years ago #