MyAstoria.com is pleased to announce a new book dedicated to the history of our great neighborhood, Images of America: Long Island City by The Greater Astoria Historical Society with Thomas Jackson and Richard Melnick.

Although Long Island City is a part of New York City, it was an independent city from 1870 to 1898 with its own distinctive history and story. The community still retains the character of a city with its own unique residential, commercial, and industrial districts. Minutes from midtown Manhattan, Long Island City is a magnet for those seeking the charms of a small town with the advantages of a great city.

A new book in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series, Long Island City by The Greater Astoria Historical Society with Thomas Jackson and Richard Melnick, features more than 200 vintage photographs to portray the community’s history and culture. Long Island City captures the unique flavor of a former city nestled between Manhattan and Queens that retains its identity to this day.

Among the photographs and stories in Long Island City, readers will find:

• The Silvercup Studios and the Kaufman Astoria Studios, a National Landmark building.
• Creative and innovative people who have called Long Island City home, including Chester Carlson who borrowed a spare room in his mothers-in-law’s beauty parlor to invent the photocopy process.
• The renowned Bohemian Hall & Park, New York’s last surviving beer garden.
• Distinctive housing from planned communities on the National Register to unique blocks that are New York City landmarks.
• The oldest colonial artifact— a millstone, lying in the busy streets of Queens Plaza.

The Greater Astoria Historical Society is a dynamic group known throughout New York for its vigorous efforts in community preservation, lively programming, and imaginative history articles featured in many publications. Board members Thomas Jackson and Richard Melnick successfully create this defining book on “New York’s Other City.”

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, on-line bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing.

Available only to MyAstoria.com Members, Book Value, Astoria's Book Store, is offering 20% OFF Images of America: Long Island City through December 31st. Contact Book Value or visit them for more information.