Lost Boston

Jane Holtz Kay follows Boston's physical growth from a marshy, sparsely settled peninsula in colonial times to the large city it became. Her account of how the streets, buildings and open spaces took shape also argues for saving the structures that survive, while asking readers to imagine what has already been lost.

The book pays attention to ordinary features of urban life as well as famous monuments. Neon signs and storefronts that were everyday sights in their own era are shown as revealing, partly because they no longer exist.

The people who built the city figure prominently. Architects Charles Bulfinch and H. H. Richardson appear alongside Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape designer who created many of Boston's celebrated parks. Political figures such as Mayors John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and James Michael Curley also make an appearance.