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Mansions of Long Island's Gold Coast

This beautifully illustrated book features the magnificent estates built in the early part of the twentieth century by the wealthy residents of Long Island's North Shore. Many of the mansions are no longer standing, making this book a critical archive and monument to their glory. In their heyday, they were inhabited by the aristocracy of America's gilded age, among them Vanderbilts, Phipps, and Pratts. The author's evocative photographs capture the splendor of these once luxurious homes, from the houses' turrets, porticos, columns, and courtyards to their vaulted entry halls, spacious ballrooms, and vast libraries. Accompanied by histories of the estates and the families that built them, this book is a classic and evocative reminder of a bygone era and lifestyle.

Flying past Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast, Queensland on approach to Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta.

Flying over Currumbin, Queensland, on approach to Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta.

Bertha Honore Palmer was the "Queen" of Chicago society from the time of her marriage to the very successful Potter Palmer in 1870 until her death in 1918. This is a well researched account of her impact on the social life of Chicago, her leadership as Chairman of the Board of Lady Managers for the Columbian Exposition of 1893, and her influence on the Art Institute of Chicago, to which she donated much of what has become a great collection of Impressionist paintings. The book includes 55 illustrations including mansions built in the Gold Coast area starting in the 1870s when Potter Palmer made the bold move north of Oak Street. He filled the swamp land with sand from Lake Michigan and began selling lots to his very rich friends--hence the name "Gold Coast." A picture of the Palmer "Castle" is included, along with views of the ballroom/art gallery, entry way and items rescued after the Castle was razed. Sally Sexton Kalmbach's gem is packed with carefully researched stories, which she tells with her unique sense of humor and easy style.