“San Francisco – Then and Now” by Eric Kos, Dennis Evanosky and Karl Mondon

“San Francisco – Then and Now” by Eric Kos, Dennis Evanosky and Karl Mondon
2009, Thunder Bay Press
ISBN: 978-1-60710-003-4

I don’t know about you, but I love looking at before and after pictures. Before she lost weight and after. Before the bathroom was remodeled and after. How about history? In “San Francisco – Then and Now” we have an opportunity to look at scenes from earlier days and then on each opposing page of the book, and from the exact same perspectives, the same scene as it is in 2009.

Eric Kos, Dennis Evanosky and photographer Karl Mondon have teamed up for yet another gorgeous book. This one, as the name suggests, is about San Francisco, one of America’s most famous cities.

Evanosky and Kos combed dusty halls and library archives for the historical pictures used in the book. From an original collection of over 300 historical pictures, many not seen in years, the 70 used in this book were chosen. Karl Mondon, a life-long San Francisco native, helped to identify the locations of the old pictures and then tromped about the city of San Francisco to take the incredibly sharp and beautiful up-to-date pictures. The perspectives demanded that he climb atop the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the Ferry Building.

Each set of pictures in the book is accompanied by “Then and Now” stories. Who lived there then and who lives there now. How the sites have changed in years gone by and how some have remained the same.

It’s always fun to learn of a story behind the story. And here's a secret: have a look at the pictures of Alcatraz on pages 24 and 25. That's Evanosky and Kos standing next to the cells.

Even people who have lived in San Francisco their whole lives will find something new to learn about their historic city. “San Francisco – Then and Now” can serve as a good-will ambassador to the rest of the world for years to come.

Good job guys!