Recipient of 2009 Bronze IPPY Award in the Performing Arts Category

2008 ForeWord Book of the Year Finalist for Photography

The history of theater in New York is captured in the images of the Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. From this valuable archive, author Leonard Jacobs communicates the evolution of the world’s most storied dramatic community. From the 1850s to the recent past, these images give insight into the passion and character of the theaters, the performers, and the performances that have made Broadway the iconic cultural capital of theater. With hundreds of images, many never published, Historic Photos of Broadway provides an intriguing look behind the scenes from the Booths and Barrymores to Maxine Elliott’s Theatre and the Zeigfeld Follies, giving those passionate about theater an irreplaceable glimpse into its humble beginning and rise to greatness over the last two centuries.

About the Author:

Leonard Jacobs has been a theater practitioner, critic, and journalist since 1990. He is the National Theatre Editor of Back Stage, the trade publication for American actors, and chief critic for Back Stage and the New York Press; he was also the founding editor of Theatermania.com. As an arts and culture writer and editor, he has contributed to American Theatre, the Hollywood Reporter, the Village Voice, Kirkus Reviews, the Sondheim Review, and Roundabout Theatre Company's Front & Center, and is represented as a contributor and assistant to the editor for the 2007 Cambridge Guide to American Theatre.