# Looking for a book I remember from my childhood **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416 "2007-10-29T04:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chrismoody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Chrismoody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chrismoody)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/1 "2007-10-29T04:29:02Z")
It was a series of several drawings showing a downtown of a small town over several decades… One for each decade, I believe… And you could pick out the small details that changed from picture to picture… That’s all I remember of it. I remember it was quite detailed, though. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/2 "2007-10-29T04:47:45Z")
Not a [Richard Scarry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Scarry) book was it? He specialised in cityscapes with anthropomorphic animals in various roles. ---
**Author:** ![Chrismoody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Chrismoody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chrismoody)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/3 "2007-10-29T04:55:43Z")
No… I don’t think so… it was completely realistic… not at all cartoonish or childish (no bears delivering the mail or somesuch). ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/4 "2007-10-29T04:59:19Z")
Would it be either [The Story of a High Street](http://www.biblio.com/details.php?dcx=140953536&aid=frg) or [The Story of a Main Street](http://www.biblio.com/details.php?dcx=26420173&aid=frg)? ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/5 "2007-10-29T05:11:18Z")
Or possibly [New Providence: A Changing Cityscape](http://www.townscape-inst.com/publications.htm)? It’s about halfway down the page with a cover illustration. ---
**Author:** ![Chrismoody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Chrismoody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chrismoody)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/6 "2007-10-29T05:24:25Z")
I’m not 100% sure that new prov. is the one… though the image to the left on the cover looks familiar… I’m pretty sure it was just the one single (double page, IIRC) image that had several redraws, one for each decade. I think the one from the 70s was mostly boarded up and deserted with a revival in the 80s… That’s all I can remember. Maybe if there are a few scenes with several images for each one that might be the one. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/7 "2007-10-29T05:28:37Z")
Since this is about a book, I’m going to move it to CS. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/8 "2007-10-29T13:32:48Z")
When was your childhood? Establishing the decade will help us focus. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/9 "2007-10-29T13:37:55Z")
Several Years ago some friends got **a Street Through Time** for MilliCal. It’ s fun, but definitely very British.: > **[A Street Through Time: Anne Millard, Steve Noon: 9780789434265: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/Street-Through-Time-Anne-Millard/dp/0789434261)** > > A Street Through Time \[Anne Millard, Steve Noon\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. A Street Through Time The same publishers (DK) have come out with a lot of other books on the same theme: [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb\_ss\_gw/103-5654502-9281462?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=A+Street+Through+Time](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-5654502-9281462?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=A+Street+Through+Time) ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/10 "2007-10-29T13:39:42Z")
If you don’t have any luck here, you might want to try a group called ‘What’s the name of that book???’ over on [goodreads.com](http://www.goodreads.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/11 "2007-10-29T14:04:36Z")
Not a book (although I suppose somebody might have made it into one), but the description sounds a lot like Robert Crumb’s [_A Short History of America,_](http://www.crumbproducts.com/productpages/newhistory.html) a copy of which hangs in my front hallway. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/12 "2007-10-29T15:35:53Z")
There was also a series of books that showed various stereotypical cities from the same viewpoint over a period of centuries. Barmi: A Mediterranean City Through the Ages Lebek: A City of Northern Europe Through the Ages San Rafael: A Central American City Through the Ages I think there was also one with an Egyptian city and a Chinese city. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/13 "2007-10-29T18:21:02Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Several Years ago some friends got **a Street Through Time** for MilliCal. It’ s fun, but definitely very British.: > **[A Street Through Time: Anne Millard, Steve Noon: 9780789434265: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/Street-Through-Time-Anne-Millard/dp/0789434261)** > > A Street Through Time \[Anne Millard, Steve Noon\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. A Street Through Time The same publishers (DK) have come out with a lot of other books on the same theme: [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb\_ss\_gw/103-5654502-9281462?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=A+Street+Through+Time](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-5654502-9281462?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=A+Street+Through+Time) [/QUOTE] Ooo, those look like a good books! I’d think anyone with a passing interest in archaeology would like them. _saves them to my wishlist_ Thanks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-book-i-remember-from-my-childhood/424416/14 "2007-10-29T18:34:48Z")
[QUOTE=Zabali\_Clawbane] Ooo, those look like a good books! I’d think anyone with a passing interest in archaeology would like them. _saves them to my wishlist_ Thanks! 😃 [/QUOTE] Er, the books would interest those with interests in archaeology or anthropology. Anyway, I find them interesting. I love to look at an area and think about how people used to live there.