NOTE DE L'ÉDITEUR : “ Nantucket is not like the rest of the United States ”, writes the author-photographer — a sentiment shared by his Nantucket neighbors. Island communities are defined by their isolation, and as the isolation is penetrated the definition changes : whales, railroads and tourists have brought Nantucket by turns prosperity, depression and prosperity once again ; yet the great fact of Nantucket, to the delight of the visitors, residents and historic preservationists, is that change has left it all but unchanged. While industrial progress has decimated America's heritage almost everywhere, Nantucket has not only maintained its buildings, beaches and landscapes, but largely improved upon them.

Proof ? Compare these 210 past and present photographs, and read how one island escaped the blight of modern times and thrives on its preserved heritage.

John McCalley researched and collected rare stereographs and old photographs of Nantucket topography and urban views, then took photographs from the same perspectives. The result is a visually documented contradiction : Nantucket absorbing the modern era yet remaining untouched. […] Hundreds of […] comparative photographs […] provide a photographic essay in historical geography and a landscape's almost hidden evolution. John McCalley's detailed captions and fervent commentary give Nantucket's history without the sentimental whaling myths, offering thoughtful observation on the value of isolated Nantucket and the need for watchful care.