An extraordinary debut in the tradition of classic works from authors
such as Mark Kurlansky, Mary Roach, and Rose George.
An exuberant and insightful work of popular history of how streets got
their names, houses their numbers, and what it reveals about class,
race, power, and identity.
When most people think about street addresses, if they think of them at
all, it is in their capacity to ensure that the postman can deliver mail
or a traveler won't get lost. But street addresses were not invented to
help you find your way; they were created to find you. In many parts of
the world, your address can reveal your race and class.
In this wide-ranging and remarkable book, Deirdre Mask looks at the fate
of streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., the wayfinding means of
ancient Romans, and how Nazis haunt the streets of modern Germany. The
flipside of having an address is not having one, and we also see what
that means for millions of people today, including those who live in the
slums of Kolkata and on the streets of London.
Filled with fascinating people and histories, The Address Book
illuminates the complex and sometimes hidden stories behind street names
and their power to name, to hide, to decide who counts, who doesn't--and
why.
