San Francisco: Then and Now

San Francisco: Then and Now   By Bill Yenne    Originally Published in 1998   144 Pages


This is a valuable book for any collection. It is always fascinating to see how the city has changed over time. The vintage photos span from 1850 to 1954, and they are accompanied by captions that detail their prominent features. The comparison photos' captions detail the changes that have taken place since the time that the originals were shot.

This book is divided into sections that reflect various parts of the city. However, there is a neighborhood bias at work here. For example, Japantown, the Fillmore, the Bayview, Hunters Point, and the Excelsior get no mention at all. Additionally there are other neighborhoods that do not appear in the book.

Though this book is fantastic, by no means should it be considered or treated as a comprehensive work.

I would encourage the use of supplemental sources to fill in the gaps that exist.