In my defense, they weren't books I would be likely to find in my local library; and when I finally have them, I may not want to return them.
One caught my eye because it deals with cruelty and violence in the arts. I've already written about it. The other was the result of stumbling on a blog cataloging all the wonderful department stores that once existed. Jackson, where I live, was once home to both L. H. Fields and Jacobson's Department stores. One of my daughters worked at both having been 'shopped' away to Jakes.
My grandparents both worked for Wannamaker's in Philadelphia and it was where I found a job for two summers after high school. My Mother's family is loosely connected to McCurdy's Department Store, which began its life in Philadelphia and moved to Rochester, New York before fading away.
If you remember a special department store, check out The Department Store Museum.
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Dear Ann:
ReplyDeleteThank you for such nice comments about my work on your blog. The subject of these department stores has fascinated me for many years, and it took losing my job to give me time to do something with all of the information I have held over the years.
As you can see from the blog, there is a lot of work to be done. I hope to get access to more newspapers so that I can accurately present more of my information. I have had tremendous response to it.
I had the pleasure of visiting John Wanamaker "in the day" and had been a regular at Jacobson's. My brother lived for a while in Rochester, New York, so I knew McCurdy's pretty well also. I don't think anyone enjoys shopping as people did "back then" and they probably couldn't understand why either. I hope my blog gives some insight into the topic, as should my upcoming book about Jacobson's. If it ever gets out there . . .
Bruce K.