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The second coolest book I own is Bendiner’s Philadelphia. My first coolest book has almost nothing to do with Philadelphia, so you may never get to know what it is. Alfred Bendiner (1899-1964) was an architect, an artist, and a writer. In early 60′s, he had a regular feature in Sunday Bulletin in which he would draw a Philadelphia landmark and then write a page or so about it. The feature died with him in 1964, and was compiled in a book, Bendiner’s Philadelphia.

This book is an amazing artifact from our city’s recent past. Some of the featured items are still around, some are long gone and long forgotten, and (most interesting) others still here but long forgotten. Bendiner’s witty and effortless prose intertwines the then present day news and views, some city history, as well as his own personal history from the viewpoint of a guy in his 60s. This book, a paper time machine, is a wonderful way to wander around Philadelphia circa the early ’60s with a really cool cat as your personal guide.

Al Bendiner was a rare double threat being both a wonderful illustrator and a fine writer. The book is long out of print, but not out of reach. For those of us here in the 21st century, all we have to do is to check Amazon.com or Half.com and we can have a copy of our very own for well under $5 including shipping.