A Short History of Boston

by Robert J. Allison, James Aloisi

Until 2004 and the publication of A Short History of Boston, there was no good short history of the city of Boston, not in print anyway. With economy and style, Dr. Robert Allison brings Boston history alive, from the Puritan theocracy of the seventeenth century to the Big Dig of the twenty-first. His book includes a wealth of illustrations, a lengthy chronology of the key events in four centuries of Boston history, and twenty short profiles of exceptional Bostonians, from founder John Winthrop to heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan, from heretic Anne Hutchinson to Russian-American author Mary Antin. Says the Provincetown Arts, A first-rate short history of the city, lavishly illustrated, lovingly written, and instantly the best book of its kind.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, The United States Of America, Reference, Local History, American

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2004

About the author

Dr. Robert J. Allison is Professor of History at Suffolk University in Boston and also teaches history at the Harvard Extension School. He graduated from the Harvard Extension School with an A.L.B. before earning a Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization at Harvard in 1992.

Professor Allison received the Harvard Extension School's Petra Shattuck Distinguished Teaching Award in 1997, the Suffolk University Student Government Association's Distinguished Faculty Award in 2006, and the Suffolk University Outstanding Faculty Award in 2007.

His books include The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, 1776–1815 (2000); A Short History of Boston (2004); Stephen Decatur, American Naval Hero (2005); The Boston Massacre (2006); The Boston Tea Party (2007); and the upcoming A Short History of Cape Cod. He has edited books on American history spanning from the colonial period to the 20th century.

Professor Allison was a consultant to the Commonwealth Museum at the State Archives in Boston, and he is on the board of overseers of the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He is vice president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, an elected fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and president of the South Boston Historical Society.

Reviews

[Christoph Glatz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was refreshing to read something not so obvious for me and to connect with one of the historically most significant cities and its characters of the past 500 years. More so, because I have had a professional relationship wiht the city during the early years of the 2010.

It called my attention that the text seems to be written with an enhanced focus of diversity/minority/women in history and I am wondering if today most historic textes have such a bias, which to mee seemed forced upon a book which probably should want to tell the true history of Boston.

[Sian Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and easy to read simple history of Boston with highlight pages picking out certain individuals with interesting backgrounds. Perhaps a little simplistic but a good place to start if you want to learn about Boston.

[Robby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read. Read it on the plane back from Boston. Pretty easy read maybe a grade above a children's book but still informative. Very short, but a nice starting point for learning Boston history. My main complaint is that it was too short and skipped a lot of the history from 1800-present.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Professor Robert Allison has written a very brief introduction to the city of Boston from the 1600s to the present. I learned a great deal about several topics: the reasons for the initial English settlement in the 1620s and 1630s, the involvement of the city in trade with the West Indies that bolstered its economy, the significance of the city to the American Revolution, the dramatic rise in Irish immigration of the nineteenth century as well as the disheartening riots that came along with the Irish presence, the significance of the city in fostering opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act in the 1850s, the flourishing of the arts, music and sports in the post-Civil War years, and the busing crisis in the public schools during the late twentieth century. Allison deals with all of these topics before wrapping up with events such as the cleaning of the Boston Harbor by the early twenty-first century. Having read a history of New York City last year, I noticed one common theme: the often passionate objections of citizens to building projects that caused social dislocations. In the case of Boston, we see this with a highway called the Central Artery and the Logan Airport during the mid-twentieth century. Although I would have liked to read more details, the book provided a useful introduction to the city ahead of the trip I plan to take there this summer.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short history packs a punch for its small size. It provides a solid background for just about all of the major developments in Boston, and includes more small anecdotes than I would have expected. The images help provide a frame of reference for the physical place and the people that inhabit it.

Of course, no topic gets sufficient coverage when you're rushing through 400 years of history in just over 100 pages. Though Allison does a good job, a lot of interesting information is lost in the brevity. The cutouts for historical figures are helpful, though their layout is a little goofy. Do we really need major controversies for each person? For many, it didn't make much sense - even when Allison switches to major challenges halfway through.

Overall, a useful but limited history of Boston, perfect for people coming to visit for a weekend or a young couple who just moved to the city and wants a birds eye view of the major changes to the city. I would recommend this to my grandfather and my friend Emma.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but concise guide to Boston's history. Because it is so abbreviated, it must skip over many of the human stories that make history so fascinating, but this book presents profiles of the historical characters along the way, and also features a good number of illustrations. It outlines Boston history from colonial inception through relatively modern day. It's a good survey to introduce this colorful town's history.

[David Wilusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A (very) short and highly readable introduction to Boston's storied history. The author highlights major events from the city's founding in 1630 to modern times, highlighting various notable personalities from politics, the arts, and sports along the way. Boston's complex history of race relations is briefly explored, as is the struggle of immigrants to assimilate - a conversation that continues to this day.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boston by Foot is an organization of volunteer guides (who have participated in extensive historical training and are interested in the history of Boston and the US). One of the guides recommended this for its bibliography and the simplicity of its high level overview of events. I read it and agree; I plan to also read the Author's book on the American Revolution which I assume offers a similar lens.

[Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief but interesting, this book gives a fairly comprehensive history of a city that has been part of the founding of the United States and which has played a key role in its general history. However, there is much more to the city and each character, each place mentioned, and each era in the city's history deserve a deeper look.

[W. Nikola-Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A synoptic view of the history of Boston, with plenty of archival photos, sidebar information, and quotations from famous (and not-so-famous) Bostonians. A good, early orientation for gaining an overview of Boston's long and storied history.

[Jamesboggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is not much to say about this book. It is a good overview of Boston history. Read it if you want to develop a foundation for understanding the local history of Boston.

[Shaunavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick book to get a glimpse into the History of Boston

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 pages of history, biography, geography, politics, entertainment & architecture.

[Aaron Wildenhaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, short but informative. Exactly what I was looking for.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly as written on the tin, a short history of Boston. Unfortunately, it’s a rather frustrating read on its own, as it is so very shallow.

[Lauryn]

Read for work!

[Yash Chalasani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and sweet read on the basics of Bostonian history. Allison does a great narrating the major timepoints in a fresh, engaging, and detailed manner.

[Jack Hrkach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read and I whizzed through it a few days prior to a recent trip to Boston. I found it better in the first two or three chapters (pre-Revolution, Revolution, post-Revolution) than in later periods which devolved into quick bits on famous Bostonians from period to period, but I'm pleased that I read it, all in all, because gave me a better sense of a city I'd visited only once before - in the 1980s - of which I remember very little.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary but too short at many points. The narrative falls apart occasionally where it's just disjointed paragraphs of different famous Bostonians. I felt it could've described more of the cultural / political landscape of Boston - particularly in the 20th century.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed something that would teach me about the history of Boston without taking a long time. I read almost the entire thing on my flight to visit Boston. I recommend it to anyone visiting Boston or interested in the area.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful, yes short, history of a great American city. Boston has been in the main current of so much of American life, yet we tend to perhaps forget how important it has been. This book will provide a base for exploring and digging into the history of the Hub.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good brief takes on various locals. Not great writing, however. ON second thought, I just reread the section on the Perkins School and it was fascinating. (2012)

[Rosanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, short. A very short history. Think I'll read a longer one next time.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent if you have a pretty good background knowledge of Boston. It taught me a lot of interesting facts that are really cool to experience while walking around Boston.

[Nuno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short...

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

entertaining but not well written. flimsy scholarship.

[Proficiency · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's my first time come to America, I have read some American history before. The book let me know a lot of thing about independence process in this country.

[Guillermo Hernadez-mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are visiting Boston, this is a cool guide to let you kown and feel the history you'ra walking

[Annie Matthys · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great history of Boston by my former history professor!