While Athens is fortunate to be the subject of an array of excellent books – many with pictures – detailing various aspects of its history, the Athens Historical Society presents this book with the expectation that it will be a valuable addition to the corpus because of its unusual approach. Some scenes (see list below) included here are not available in any other book, and much of the information accompanying the illustrations has been out of the public consciousness for many decades.

During the first twenty years of the last century an amazing phenomenon occurred in this country that involved millions of people from coast to coast – postcard collecting! The hobby of collecting postcards began in Europe in the 1890s and by the turn of the century had become a worldwide fad. Athens residents took part in the craze and by doing so provided some valuable historical records of people, places, and events of the day.

A great many of these postcards have not been reproduced since their appearance 75 to 100 years ago. They are historically valuable because they afford a view of some homes, businesses, schools, churches, street scenes, and social life of Athens and its people not available in any other form.

The postcards in this book are from the collection of Gary Doster, a lifelong student of Athens history. The captions accompanying the pictures are informed by his detailed knowledge of local history and enriched by collaboration with Charlotte Thomas Marshall. The imaginative arrangement of pictures and text is a result of the professional skill and personal commitment of graphic designer Bill Reeves.

Views from A Postcard History of Athens, Georgia