The events are over for 2018, but you can still purchase the new book by Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard, Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred. To order online, see below. Remember, you can specify a personal inscription by Paul and Jean — for a gift or for you!
The media
The latest media appearance for the book came at 12:45 PM yesterday, when an interview aired of Paul and Jean by Marcie Sillman of “The Record” on KUOW-FM. See links to the 15-minute edited version and to video of the full, half-hour interview here:
Here are samples from the interview, addressed to Seattle’s recent newcomers:
Referencing Paul’s more than 1,800 photo-history columns, Marcie asked Paul, “Do you contemplate the impact that this work has done on what direction the city might take?” Paul’s reply: “It occurs to me quite a bit. I think, ‘My gosh, this thing has been here consistently for nearly 40 years, and it has a lot of readers, and I know it’s had a lot of effect.’ So yes, I’m kind of proud of that.”
Marcie followed up: “So what would you say to the new employee who works in South Lake Union at that big behemoth of a company who’s just arrived in town, what should they know?” Paul replied, “That’s easy. I’d say buy the book. Buy several copies, not only for yourself but for your relatives in Peoria, Illinois.”
Jean added, “Buy the book, then walk around the city, because I think that there’s an awful lot of people who arrive, find a little space that they can call their own, and stop. But this is a city’s that’s walkable. You can stroll around many of these important historic places, and there’s a resonance that comes through. There’s enough that we can explore and discover. So … start walking.”
To see links to all the print and broadcast media coverage of the book so far, click here.
Events in 2019
Already we have scheduled three book events in 2019, with more to come. Stay tuned on the events page of our website!
Videos of the events!
Did you miss one of our book events this fall and would like to see it from the convenience of your computer? Or perhaps you attended an event and would like to re-live it? Or share it with a friend?
We have posted videos of 19 of the book’s 23 events on the events page of our website. The videos include this one from December 22, 2018, at the University Book Store (with Paul in Santa garb):
The blurbs
A total of 25 Seattle notables have weighed in on Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred. Here are two samples:
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Paul Dorpat is a Seattle treasure, and now he has fashioned a graphical and textual delight that will grab you and not let go. It guides deeply into the city’s untidy past and emerges into its lustrous present. But beware! Once you pick up this book, don’t even pretend you will sleep until you turn the last page – and even then, you will be tempted to start over again.
Scott Cline,
former Seattle city archivist
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As someone who likes to put new restaurants into old buildings, I appreciate the way every urban ziggurat has a unique story to tell. Naturally, this means I’m also a longtime fan of Paul Dorpat’s photo-history column in the Seattle Times magazine. Seattle is morphing with dizzying speed into a future self, our streets blocked by cranes and our sidewalks teeming with tech workers. What we all need is to take a breath and pick up a copy of this remarkable book. Pour a drink, settle into your favorite chair, and let Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred build you a bridge, photo by photo, to the shared past of who we are and where we come from.
Tom Douglas,
Seattle restaurateur
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For the rest of the blurbs, check out our blurbs page.
How to order
Want to order a book online? It’s easy. Just visit our “How to order” page. You can even specify how you want Paul and Jean to personalize your copy. Books will reach your mailbox about a week after you order them.
Thanks!
Big thanks to everyone who has helped make this book a successful tribute to the public historian who has popularized Seattle history via more than 1,800 columns for nearly 37 years, Paul Dorpat!
— Clay Eals, editor, Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred