Book excerpt: Brooklyn, a magical name, both fantasy and enigma. Yet despite its reputation, Brooklyn consists of provincial, suburban neighborhoods, a small town. For over 300 years, Brooklyn suffered growing pains, but it also offered hospitality, jobs, and recreation, as the photographs in this volume show. Thus, millions crossed the East River and worked hard to build a city. Brooklyn’s image grew and took hold: the sounds of the streets and factories, the heroism, the loyalty, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Historic Photos of Brooklyn shows how Brooklyn’s pride has traveled from decade to decade, and with this continuity, how Brooklyn has matured, building farmhouses, frame houses, skyscrapers, classrooms, brownstones, libraries, mom-and-pop stores, department stores, restaurants, theaters, ships, elevated trains, and airplanes. Today’s residents carry on a tradition started centuries ago, traditions that are highlighted in Historic Photos of Brooklyn.