Jane Holtz Kay's Lost Boston is a classic illustrated look at Boston's past. It features mainly photographs, with occasional prints and maps - all black and white. Themed chapters organize the content, with the themes representing, of course, the visual material available to the author. So you get the Great Fire of 1872, parks, churches, etc.; all the usual suspects. I remember - vaguely - when this book came out in 1980. It was the first time I had seen old photos of historic Boston, and it was a great pleasure.
My only criticism would be that some photos are made quite small to fit alongside the text. Space is always an issue with such books, but size really does matter when it comes to historical photographs. In any case, the book is well worth a look - it's a good book for browsing and for inspiring further investigations.
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