Boston A to Z - Hardcover

O′connor, Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674003101 ISBN 13: 9780674003101

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2000

Synopsis

From its origins as a Puritan settlement on the Shawmut Peninsula to the multicultural capital of the knowledge industry that it is today, the city of Boston has played a significant role in our nation's history. In this book, the preeminent historian of Boston, Thomas H. O'Connor, takes readers on a delightful tour of the city, past and present. Drawing on lifelong acquaintance as a native son and scholar, O'Connor has assembled a personal, informal and eclectic series of essays about Boston's people, places and events. Along the way you will meet figures of national significance and local heroes (or rogues), from John Adams and Phillis Wheatley to "Honey Fitz" and the Brink's gang; visit spaces sacred and profane, from the African Meeting House and Holy Cross Cathedral to Filene's Basement and the L Street Bathhouse; learn about institutions of civic importance and local colour, from the Museum of Fine Arts and Massachusetts General Hospital to private clubs and nightspots; and be enlightened about the lore surrounding such quintessentially Boston topics as baked beans, the Curse of the Bambino, and the Steaming Kettle. "Boston A to Z" wears its learning lightly but never fails to inform as it entertains. While celebrating some of Boston's finest achievements, it doesn't shy away from darker episodes. Longtime residents will find enlightenment about familiar and arcane aspects of their city, and visitors or newcomers will enjoy an engaging introduction to the life, culture and history of Boston.

About this title

Review

Like the city itself, [O'Connor's] book juxtaposes The Common and The Combat Zone, The Old North Church and The Old Howard, The Ponzi Scheme and The Pops. I came away from it with a fund of new and fascinating details about the hub of the solar system (so designated by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.)...I'm not going to reveal...these wonders...You'll have to look them up yourself. O'Connor makes no claim to comprehensiveness and freely admits that another writer might choose different entries. That's another reason it's so good: It's personal.--Geoffrey Elan"Yankee" (04/01/2001)

About the Author

Thomas H. O'Connor is Professor of History, Emeritus, and University Historian, Boston College. He is the author of numerous works on the history of Boston, New England, and the United States, including Boston Catholics and Civil War Boston.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674003101
• ISBN 13: 9780674003101
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384