Charles R. Mitchell Bücher

Lenses for railroad lanterns, cut glass for the White House table, Thomas Edison's first light bulb-the glass for all of these was made in Corning, the glass capital of America, the Crystal City. From 1880 to World War I, newfound wealth sparked a spending and building boom that shaped the city. Corning recaptures the city's gilded age, the boom days when tax-free fortunes could be made-and lost-overnight. Vintage photographs show elephants and buffalo parading down Market Street, the Drake family giving recitals on its home pipe organ, churches and public buildings rising, carriages giving way to motorcars, and huge summer homes springing up on the Finger Lakes.

Nestled among the hills of western New York State is the beautiful lake Keuka, the Indian word for "canoe landing." Once visited, the loveliness and serenity of this particular lake in New York's Finger Lakes region draws people back. Visitors return to stay for a week or the summer, and tourists come back, often annually. Many who have lived or summered at the lake return to retire. Keuka Lake brings back the time period from 1850 to 1960, the era of black-and-white photography. Featured are the local grapes and wineries, the steamboats, the commercial activities on and around the lake, and the lake itself. Today, the boats are no longer steam powered and the wineries are more plentiful, but other aspects of life have not changed. The residents are hospitable; the pace is slow; the lake is resplendent and inviting.