Long Island's Gold Coast, more than any other section of the country, has captured the imagination of America. This, in part, is attributable to F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." The Spinzias' two-volume comprehensive analysis of the North Shore families documents over 1,500 estate owners in a modified "Who's Who" format. Included are 578 photographs of the estates, biographical data on the estate owners and their families, locations of estates using current street references and village designations, estate names, acreage, architects, architectural styles, dates of construction, landscape architects, subsequent owners, location of archival photographs of the estates, and information as to whether mansions are still extant and, if not, the dates of demolition. Cross-referenced in the second-section appendices are estate names, village locations of estates, as well as architectural and landscape commissions. The civic activity and occupation appendices document the contribution of Long Islanders, including statesmen, intelligence agents, financiers, writers and inventors. Maiden names, rehabilitive secondary uses of estates including golf courses which were formerly private estates, motion pictures filmed at estate sites, a general bibliography of the "Gilded Age," and a bibliography specific to individual estate owners, with the location of personal papers, have also been included.

Photographs detailing architectural features and interior design, accompanied by a text capturing early twentieth-century ways of life explore the lavish houses built by the Vanderbilts, Morgans, and others on Long Island's North Shore, in an expanded, beautifully illustrated celebration of the desi

For Italian immigrants and their descendants, moving from "the city" to Long Island was more than a change of address. Even though the move wasn't far geographically, the societal move was large--it signaled that the family had achieved the American Dream, and in turn, elements of Italian values and culture are visible all over the island. Italians helped to build Long Island, whether as laborers or as contractors, such as the Castagnas. They brought their culinary traditions and opened markets, such as the still family-owned Iavarone Brothers Foods and restaurants, including New Hyde Park's Umberto's. Italians' industrialism helped them thrive in fields as diverse as medicine, politics, theater, and winemaking (including the nationally recognized Banfi label). Join author Salvatore J. LaGumina to discover the remarkable contributions and vibrant culture of Italians and Italian-Americans on Long Island.

In America the streets were paved with gold. That was the mistaken notion of many an immigrant to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. On Long Island, deluded sojourners from Italy were to find that in fact there were few streets and that they themselves were to be the ones to build them. Covering more than a century of history, Long Island Italians depicts the transition of urban Italians as they moved increasingly from the city to the suburbs in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. They were attracted to Long Island by economic opportunity, the availability of arable land, home ownership possibilities, and alternatives to harsh city life. There, they became the largest of all ethnic groups, with more Americans of Italian descent living in one concentrated area than anywhere besides Italy. The Italian American presence is a continuing phenomenon, today comprising about 25 percent of the total population of Long Island. Long Island Italians graphically illustrates that Italian labor was vital to the development of Long Island roads, agriculture, railroads, and industry. By the early twentieth century, Italians made up the bulk of the work force. The book goes beyond the laborers to show also the warmth of Italian family life, the strength of the social organizations, and the rise of the politicians.

For Italian immigrants and their descendants, moving from "the city" to Long Island was more than a change of address. Even though the move wasn't far geographically, the societal move was large--it signaled that the family had achieved the American Dream, and in turn, elements of Italian values and culture are visible all over the island. Italians helped to build Long Island, whether as laborers or as contractors, such as the Castagnas. They brought their culinary traditions and opened markets, such as the still family-owned Iavarone Brothers Foods and restaurants, including New Hyde Park's Umberto's. Italians' industrialism helped them thrive in fields as diverse as medicine, politics, theater, and winemaking (including the nationally recognized Banfi label). Join author Salvatore J. LaGumina to discover the remarkable contributions and vibrant culture of Italians and Italian-Americans on Long Island.

The revised edition of Long Island's Prominent South Families: Their Estates and Their Country Homes in the Towns of Babylon and Islip joins the critically acclaimed five-volume series about Long Island's estate era and follows the same modified "Who's Who" format found in the other volumes. This updated and expanded volume documents 588 estates and their owners. Included are 473 photographs of the estates, biographical data on the estate owners and their families, cross-references to family members mentioned in other volumes in the series, locations of estates using current street references and village designations, estate names, architects, architectural styles, dates of construction, landscape architects, subsequent owners, location of archival photographs of the estates, and information as to whether mansions are still extant and, if not, the dates of demolition. Cross-referenced in the second-section appendices are estate names, village locations of estates, as well as, architectural and landscape commissions. The civic activity and occupation appendices document the contribution of Long Islanders, including statesmen, intelligence agents, financiers, writers, and inventors. Maiden names, rehabilitative secondary uses of estates including golf courses which were formerly private estates, a general bibliography of the "Gilded Age," and a bibliography specific to individual estate owners, with the location of personal papers, have also been included.

The estate areas in the Town of Hempstead have, for the most part, faded into history. In many instances, the mansions that have survived in the Five Towns area are situated on smaller pieces of property and have had their architectural integrity compromised by subsequent owners. What remains virtually untouched in what Garden City residents refer to as the original estate area, located in the central section of their village. Unfortunately, the estate areas in the villages of Hempstead, East Meadow, Uniondale, and Salisbury are forever gone.This fifth volume in the "Long Island's Prominent Families" series follows the same modified "Who's Who" biographical format and incorporates extensive appendices as found in other volumes in this series. Like its Southampton counterpart, it includes cross-referencing to family members in all other volumes. Documented are 758 Town of Hempstead families, with 355 photographs of their homes.