abcreads: Images of America, Images from New Mexico

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Images of America, Images from New Mexico

You may have noticed, among the flood of bond-funded new books reaching your library's shelves, some slim books with distinctive covers featuring vintage photographs.

These books are part of the Images of America series,

by Arcadia Publishing.

From the publisher's website:

The Images of America series chronicles the history of small towns and downtowns across the country. Each title features more than 200 vintage images, capturing often forgotten bygone times and bringing to life the people, places, and events that defined a community.

Local authors transform dusty albums and artifacts into meaningful walks down memory lane. Millions of vintage images become tiny time capsules, re-establishing memories of the formerly familiar, introducing generations to what once was, and reminding us all of what has been (and can be) in every corner of our nation. The popular series has expanded over time to preserve and celebrate additional worthy topics including local landmarks, architecture, ethnic groups, and more.

The books make fascinating browsing; flipping through any of these volumes is an exercise in "I never knew that..." For example, the book on the White Sands Missile Range features not only images of equipment and personnel around the base, but also comedian Jack Benny sitting on a rocket!

Many of the images, rarely or never before available, have been gathered from local historical societies, libraries, and individuals. The researcher for the Towns of the Sandia Mountains volume was hosted by the ABCLS East Mountain branch, and many of the authors in the series are local historians.

Here is a list of the New Mexico-related Images of America titles in the ABCLS catalog. Click through on any title to see if it is at your local branch or to request a copy.