The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday

Life In The Bronx Series For the past 20 years, The Bronx County Historical Society has been at work on a history of life in the borough series. In 1979, the first book, The Beautiful 1920-1950 was published, and this was followed in 1985 by The Bronx In The Innocent 1890-1925, and then in 1992 by The Bronx It Was Only 1935 – 1965. In 2000, The Birth of The Bronx 1609-1900 becomes the fourth in the series. Splendid works of social history, “The Life in The Bronx” series provides an engaging portrait of the mainland section of New York City at various turning points in the development of America’s growing urban society. This volume takes a close look at a period of great technological change that brought the outside world closer to The Bronx. These were the decades when entertainment shifted from enjoying movies and radio, to spending hours watching newly purchased black and white television sets; when the preferred mode of transportation changed from trolleys, buses, and subways to automobiles; when popular taste in music shifted from big bands to rock ‘n’ roll; when heretofore tranquil neighborhoods were disturbed by the clatter of construction of new highways and high-rise housing complexes. These absorbing narratives of the colorful activities of these times is complemented with rare photographs from the research archives of The Bronx County Historical Society. They offer a vivid glimpse into the wide range of changes that occurred in these years and of the elements of continuity that preserved The Bronx as a desirable residence for the countless numbers of people that chose to make it their home.