Parnassus on Main Street: A History of the Detroit Public Library

by Frank B. Woodford

First edition. Illustrated. Spine slightly faded. 487 pages. cloth, dust jacket.. 8vo..

487 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Frank B. Woodford (1903–1967) was chief editorial writer for the Detroit Free Press. He authored eleven books, including Lewis Cass, The Last Jeffersonian (1951); Mr. Jefferson’s Disciple: A Life of Justice Woodward (1953), co-authored with Albert Hyma; Gabriel Richard: Frontier Ambassador (1958), co-authored with Phil Mason; Alex J. Groesbeck: Portrait of a Public Man (Wayne State University Press, 1962); and Harper of Detroit: The Origins and Growth of a Great Metropolitan Hospital (Wayne State University Press, 1964). At the time of his death, he was serving as city historiographer of the City of Detroit.

Reviews

[Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book to read with nearly a half century of hindsight. It's an engagingly-written (if overly-sunny) history of DPL from 1865-1965, though the focus tends to be on the 19th and early 20th century. As someone who works in a library right across the street from DPL's main branch it was very interesting to get a sense of how library service has (and hasn't) changed since the early days.

But 1965 was such an unfortunate cutoff! The change in Detroit (and in the nation) from then to now is just as dramatic, if not more so, than the change from 1865-1965. I suppose I'll have to wait until 2065 for a book on the next hundred years of DPL...