You Will Do Better in Toledo - From Frogtown to Glass City. A Toledo Retrospective in Postcards, 1893-1929

Toledo, Ohio: The Blade Publishing Co, 2008. First edition. Oblong 4to. 12" x 9-1/4". Black cloth. 165 pp. As new book. CD has never been removed from its envelope./As new dust jacket, no tears, no creases, only a few faint scratches on back panel that are barely visible.. Accompanied by a CD with 2000 Historical Postcards from Ken Levin collection, this is a first-of-its-kind book and compact disc combination that tells the story of the city's Golden Age. The remarkable duo features a historical narrative with 300 postcards depicting Toledo Scenes and a searchable disc containing 2000 printable postcard images. The penny picture postcard was introduced in Chicago at The World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 and a communication phenomenon was born. The postcard was immensely popular until the economic collapse of 1929 and the Great Depression effectively ended its importance.
Toledo experienced its greatest growth and development during those same years. The Golden Age began with Edward Drummond Libbey's success at the same Chicago World's Fair of 1893. The city grew at a spectacular pace until the Crash of 1929 caused a sudden and devastating halt.
By this very coincidence, we have a marvelous illustrated record of the rise of Toledo during its finest hour. The humble penny postcard chronicled and documented a positive and inspiring story. Toledoans, who were creating a great city and a good life, optimistically and proudly proclaimed, "You will Do Better in Toledo."