Record Display for the EPA National Library Catalog

RECORD NUMBER: 5 OF 17

Main Title City lights : illuminating the American night /
Author Jakle, John A.
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press,
Year Published 2001
OCLC Number 44934113
ISBN 080186593X; 9780801865930
Subjects Municipal lighting--United States ; Municipal lighting--Social aspects--United States ; Straatverlichting ; Sociale aspecten ; Geschichte--(DE-588)4020517-4 ; Leuchtwerbung--(DE-588)4269941-1 ; Stadt--(DE-588)4056723-0 ; StraƇenbeleuchtung--(DE-588)4129991-7 ; USA--(DE-588)4078704-7 ; Municipal lighting--United states--Social aspects
Internet Access
Description Access URL
Contributor biographical information http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/bios/jhu051/00011213.html
Publisher description http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/description/jhu051/00011213.html
Holdings
Library Call Number Additional Info Location Last
Modified
Checkout
Status
EIAM  TK4188.J35 2001 Region 2 Library/New York,NY 12/28/2001
Collation x, 292 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Notes
Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-283) and index.
Contents Notes
"Today's cities shine brightly at night, illuminated by millions of street lamps, neon signs, and incandescent and fluorescent bulbs burning in the windows of office blocks, apartment buildings, and homes. Indeed, the modern city is in large part defined by this brilliance. In contrast, cities before the end of the nineteenth century were dominated by shadows and darkness, their oil lamps mostly ineffectual against the night. The introduction of modern lighting technologies in the 1870s - at first natural gas and later electricity - transformed urban life in America and around the world." "This Promethean story and its impact on the shape and pace of life in the American city is recounted by John A. Jakle in City Lights. Jakle reveals how artificial lighting became a dynamic instrument that altered every aspect of the urban landscape and was in turn shaped by the growth of America's automobile culture. He examines the technological and entrepreneurial innovations that made urban illumination possible and then explores the various ways in which artificial lighting was used to enhance - for reasons of commerce, safety, aesthetics, and mobility - such public spaces as streets, festivals, world's fairs, amusement parks, landmarks, and business districts. From the corner street lamp to the dazzling display of Broadway's "Great White Way," City Lights offers a lively and informative investigation into the geography of the night."--Jacket.