

My mouth was hanging open as I perused this oversize book of black-and-white "yard-longs," the name for the panoramic photographs popularized by Eastman Kodak's Cirkut Camera invented in the early 1900s. This hard-to-use, rotating camera was capable of recording 360-degree views, and could capture immense crowds (would you believe 20,000 strong?) using negatives up to five feet wide.
The exquisite reproductions in this book are truly visceral: You can almost hear the carnival barker (Knoxville, Tennessee, 1914), feel the crowd's hush (Baptism at San Pedro Park, Texas, 1925) and smell the apple pie (Old Home Day, Dorchester, New Hampshire, 1929). Each photograph is a short story about early 20th century America with enough life-affirming innocence (oh, to be in the 1920 Bathing Girl Parade!) to steel you against more difficult truths (Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Drill Team and Band, Jackson, Michigan, 1924).
This is a memorable tome with a number of photos that fold open to four feet, so care must be taken opening and closing each one. In other words, not a good gift for someone who's hard on books!
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