Chris Epting

It Happened Right Here by Chris Epting collects pop culture landmarks from previous books with some new entries added. While not a guidebook, it is an essential companion book for anyone wanting to visit such places.

Organized thematically, and alphabetically within each thematic chapter, this will require some effort if you are looking for places to see on a trip you might be taking. If, however, you have some idea of what landmarks might be in that area, the entries will be easy to navigate. Rather than use a place name people might not recognize, the name associated with it is what the entry is listed under. Additionally, there are groupings within the chapters that list places connected to the same person.

Having stated all that, this is a fun book to read. While I did read the entire book, I didn't read it straight through. I started with chapters that most appealed to me and then jumped around. This actually offered me the opportunity to do two things. First, I used these entries as catalysts to look into many of the people and events more closely. Second, and this links to the previous paragraph, I started jotting down places I wanted to visit in parts of the country I go to, or through, regularly.

It was always fun when I would come across a place I had visited or, for some, I went by regularly at some time in my life. There were even a few places that I'm sure I passed but had no idea it was considered a pop culture landmark. I have to admit, I am looking forward to some of my future trips, though there are many places that have either been razed or that I just wouldn't feel comfortable stopping to gawk. That said, it doesn't mean I might not drive by and have a companion take a picture.

This is a fun reference book for places to visit as well as a fun book that might make an excellent bedside book for the nights you don't want to get back into a longer book you're reading, but still want to read a bit before sleep comes over you. But keep either a file open for notes or a pen and pad of paper handy for places to look up online or visit when you are not preparing to sleep.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (més)

Baseball fans that enjoy looking back at the early years of the game will appreciate the history and the warm nostalgia of the collection of photographs from the early 20th century that comprise this worthwhile book in Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of Baseball” series. It’s fascinating to see the little details and subtle changes of the structure of the Polo Grounds over those early years, as well as the players, uniforms, equipment, fans, etc. Author Chris Epting augments the photos with cogent captions that add context and historical perspective. The Polo Grounds was home to the New York Giants (as well as the Yankees for a brief period), and among the notables in the photos are Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, Jim Thorpe, and Babe Ruth.

An added bonus is Arnold Hano’s poignant and evocative foreword, in which he describes how he “grew up” at the Polo Grounds. I can’t say that I grew up there, but I was fortunate to see a Met game at the Polo Grounds at the tail end of the stadium’s existence in 1963, so I feel a modest link to it, and from that game grew my lifelong love of baseball.… (més)