[PRCo] Middleton Books

[Ken & Tracie]

Fred Schneider wrote:

> Which book are you talking about, Ken?  The larger original edition published
> by Kalmbach in 1967 or the newer and smaller version done by Don Duke (Golden
> West Books) in 1987?

Both books. I don't mean to be patronizing, but that shot of the Boston PCC
plunging into the subway, taken between the bars of the wrought iron fence, the
"picture window" car passing the swimming hole on the first day of the Riverside
line, the misty, melancholy night shot of the Canal Street car waiting to begin its
run, the cars in the NOPSI shops, the 1958 night shot of the brightly lit 1700 at
the Library loop, the El Paso PCC passing the street vendors in Mexico, they all
made a lasting impression. And I perhaps one day I could persuade Bill to sell me
copies of his excellent Milwaukee photography of TM, M&ST, the NSL, KMCL,
Speedrail, TMER&T, etc.

BTW, when you finally return to the darkroom, I want a copy of that shot you took
of the Milwaukee trackless trolley during your NSL trip.

What makes the Middleton books so good are not just the great mixture of historic
shots and the Duke/Middleton/Schneider/Gruber photography, but the the concise,
short captions that contain in two sentences enough information to replace a lesser
mortal's multiple paragraphs. As you all can see, I am not capable of writing in
that taunt, concise manner Commander Middleton has mastered.