My Review: ‘Historic Photos of Sonoma County’

Title: “Historic Photos of Sonoma County”
Author: Text and Captions by Lee Torliatt
Publisher: Turner Publishing, 2008
Pages: 205
Price: $39.95
ISBN: 978-1-59652-409-5

The good people at Turner Publishing sent me a copy of “Historic Photos of Sonoma County” to check out and review. As someone who was born, raised, and still lives in Sonoma County, this was an opportunity not to be turned down! I’ve seen some of the small paperback books with historic photos of towns before, but the book that was sent to me was far bigger than I expected.

The text and captions were written by Lee Torliatt (former teacher in Santa Rosa and writer & editor at The Press Democrat) and provide a very clear glimpse into the circumstances surrounding each and every photograph. The book is divided up into four chapters which do an excellent job of giving readers a view into live in Sonoma County during some monumental changes such as the increasing population of settlers and the rise of agriculture and trade:

• From Early Days to the 1906 Earthquake (1850s – 1909)
• Earthquake Recovery in a ‘Growing’ Economy (1907 – 1919)
• Prohibition, Labor Conflicts, and a Bridge (1920 – 1939)
• Gains and Loses from Postwar Growth (1940 – 1979)

The Good
The problem I have with most collections of historic Sonoma County photos is that they all seem to be almost entirely focused on the 1906 quake. While the 1906 earthquake definitely helped shape the future of Northern California, there is so much more to the history of the area, which many books leave out. That’s not the case with “Historic Photos of Sonoma County”

To start with, this book is 205 pages long, including the Bibliography. It’s large enough to do the photos justice but also makes a great coffee table book and conversation starter. The quality and sheer number of photos make this book worth every cent. There were some photos that definitely brought up some memories, such as photos of Rosenberg’s Department Store or of the then new Coddingtown and Montecito Center in Rincon Valley.

These photos really help you appreciate the rich history of Sonoma County and anyone who has spent any amount of time in the area — let alone any of us raised here — will enjoy this book without a doubt. If you’re a history buff, you really have no business not owning a copy of “Historic Photos of Sonoma County”!

The Bad
To be fair, I’ve really been trying to find some negative aspects of this book, just to prove that I’m not giving an assumed, biased review. The only thing I can possibly think of that might disuade some people from purchasing this book is the price. At $39.95 this is more than most people spend on a book after leaving college. For those that buy this book, you won’t be disappointed!

The Bottom Line
Get this book. Click here to order your own copy. You won’t regret it!

Note: Photos in this post were used with permission from Turner Publishing.