Philadelphia : finding the hidden city / Joseph E.B. Elliott, Nathaniel Popkin, and Peter Woodall.

Popkin and Woodall, the cofounders of the website Hidden City Daily, argue that many of Philadelphia's best assets are too often overlooked. Working with architectural photographer Elliott, the authors aim to change that with this illustrated urban history. "The fact that Philadelphia isn't fundamentally a dynamic, ruined, or polished city, but incorporates some combination of all those qualities, has cost it traction in the national imagination," the authors write, adding that those same qualities make it an excellent location for contemplating the "endless supply of hidden layers" that the past provides. Many of the buildings discussed-churches, old cinemas, power stations, and repurposed prisons-seem as though they could be in any older city. The most interesting sights included in the book are those unique to Philadelphia: for example, the Wanamaker Organ, located on the second floor of a Macy's in Center City, and Wayne Mills, where employees still manufacture and dye cotton, nylon, and polyester twill tape in a facility that's been doing essentially the same thing since 1885. The authors also give a quick history of Philadelphia's social clubs and tour several that still exist-the Undine Barge Club and the German Society of Philadelphia Library among them. Readers looking for an offbeat history of one of America's oldest cities would do well to pick this up. 102 photos, eight halftones. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

This collaborative project between two journalists (Popkin and Woodall) and a professional photographer (Elliott), all of whom share a common interest in Philadelphia's oldest built environment, does not highlight the restored tourist destinations in the City of Brotherly Love but rather its more neglected parts, where splendid buildings are beginning to decay. It takes readers through a brief tour of Philadelphia's cultural history from 1916 to the present and provides historical context for more than 25 structures, including bridges, buildings, a railroad, and a water filtration chamber. More than 100 beautiful color photographs fill the pages. While this work showcases specific buildings, areas, and structures that are tantalizingly magnificent as they age, this is not a guide book. There are no maps identifying the structures' locations or information about how to access them. VERDICT This will interest anyone who wants to become -familiar with Philly's off-the-beaten-path historic areas. Readers interested in a slice of the city's lore and architectural history will also find it enjoyable.--Valerie Nye, Coll. of Santa Fe, NM © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.