Vanishing Seattle

Imagining Seattle is a study of social values in urban governance and the relationship of environmentalism, race relations, and economic growth in contemporary Seattle.

In the 1950s, the city of Seattle began a transformation from an insular, provincial outpost to a vibrant and cosmopolitan cultural center. As veteran Seattle journalist R. M. Campbell illustrates in Stirring Up Seattle: Allied Arts in the Civic Landscape, this transformation was catalyzed in part by the efforts of a group of civic arts boosters originally known as “The Beer and Culture Society.” This “merry band” of lawyers, architects, writers, designers, and university professors, eventually known as Allied Arts of Seattle, lobbied for public funding for the arts, helped avert the demolition of Pike Place Market, and were involved in a wide range of crusades and campaigns in support of historic preservation, cultural institutions, and urban livability.

One of America's youngest big cities, Seattle has already seen a lot of growth and change in 160 years. Stunning buildings came up (and sometimes down). Parks were built on shipping docks, oil terminals, and airspace above a freeway. And despite Seattle's nature-loving reputation, its landscape was raised, lowered, and reshaped. Explore dozens of altered places throughout the Jet City with Clark Humphrey, author of Arcadia's popular Vanishing Seattle and Seattle's Belltown.

Exploring Seattle’s food history reveals a culinary legacy both distinctive and bountiful. The region’s food traditions include numerous indigenous edibles ranging from wild salmon to foraged mushrooms. Covering the history, culture, and cuisine of Seattle, Judith Dern takes readers on an in-depth culinary tour of this flourishing and fascinating Pacific Northwest city.

The Queen City of the Pacific Northwest was once known principally for the spectacular forests, mountains, and waters surrounding it. But now, what's in Seattle is as famous as what's outside it. This is a vibrant young city full of attractions. It's a center for several hi-tech industries and a crossroads of global cultures. Seattle is also one of the most walkable cities in the country. It's full of cozy bungalows, stately mansions, postmodern palaces, and outdoor art all over. It has wide boulevards, narrow cobblestone lanes, and carless pedestrian pathways. Walking Seattle reveals 35 specially designed urban treks that are not only good exercise but are a great way to soak up the city's history, culture, parks, and vibe. Commentary includes trivia about architecture, local culture, and neighborhood history, plus tips on where to dine, have a drink, or shop. Each tour includes a neighborhood map and vital public transportation and parking information. Route summaries make each walk easy to follow, and a "Points of Interest" section lists each walk's highlights. Local insider Clark Humphrey leads you from Greenwood to Rainier Beach, from Green Lake to Fauntleroy, and many places in between. Walking Seattle. Get it, and get moving.

When most of Seattles original founders settled at todays Pioneer Square, William Bell set up his own neighborhood a couple of miles up the waterfront. Bells Town grew in the early 20th century, when Seattle leveled the adjacent Denny Hill, and the newly flat regrade became a low-rent district of bars, hotels, and industry. In recent decades, Belltown has become one of the nations fastest growing urban neighborhoods with upscale condominium towers and fashionable restaurants. This new volume chroniclesin more than 200 imagesthe colorful history of this diverse and constantly changing area. Readers will enjoy early glimpses of such landmarks as the Seafair Torchlight Parade, the Seattle Center Monorail, the legendary Dog House, and the Edgewater Inn.

Seattle’s Used Bookstores: 1999 and 2019 is a collection of essays and photographs celebrating independent used bookstores in Seattle just before and twenty years after the city's tech boom. It is an homage to the culture of print and the world of used bookstores, reveling in their randomness, quantity of books, resident cats, patrons, and hard-working booksellers. Words and images convey the simple joy of reading, the magic of books and the unique spaces created within bookstores.