Hallmark

Decent books about Kansas City's history—books that are both in-depth and well-written—are surprisingly hard to come by. This 1973 coffee table publication by Hallmark Cards is one of the rare finds. I think they put out an updated version in the early 1980's but I haven't seen that one. My only wish is that Kansas City: An Intimate Portrait of the Surprising City on the Missouri was a little more real-history realistic and less starry-eyed optimism for the city's portrayal during the show more 20th century. Perhaps 1973 was too close in time to highlight some of Kansas City's more recent darker elements. The sections on Westport and the city's founding and growth throughout the 19th century were first-rate.

My favorite quote, from KC's frontier saloon days:

"The flow of liquor apparently rivaled that of the Missouri River itself. As one historian described the situation, 'Whiskey circulated more freely... than was altogether safe in a place where every man carried a loaded pistol...'" show less

The vintage photos are interesting and many of the captions are clever in this quaint little book. Humor does indeed lurk in its pages, and it is the sort of book you can toss on an end table for guests to amuse themselves while you are in the kitchen making coffee. Worth the read.

It was enjoyable for what it was. The vintage photos were appealing, and some of the captions were funny. It was a short book, but interesting. Cute fluff.

“Up on the Housetop” and “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” are the two songs featured in this Hallmark book. The sheet music and lyrics for each song are included; each song is illustrated using artwork from the Masterwork Collection/Hallmark Archives and Design Collection.

[There’s also a middle section for recording Christmas lists and memories; readers who teach their Little Ones to respect books . . . and that means never writing in them . . . are not likely to consider actually show more writing on these pages.]

“Up on the Housetop” is one of the first secular songs composed in the United States, probably in the 1860s. This book is a fun way to introduce that song and “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” to young children; welcome the spirit of the season and enjoy the songs and the artwork. show less