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Reviews of Long Island's Prominent North Shore Families
“. . . a goldmine of information . . . a magisterial reference work, that should be in the collections of every library. . . with its many twists and
turns, [these books are] also fun and fascinating to read. The maiden name index was an unexpected delight, which will have great appeal to genealogists, historians, and authors tracing the webs of Gold Coast family connections and relations. These volumes, together with the book in preparation by the Spinzias on the South Shore Gold Coast, are sure to become long-needed standard reference books on the subject."
– Mark H. Rothenberg, Senior Reference Specialist and Historian,
Suffolk Cooperative Library System and Patchogue – Medford Library,
Patchogue, NY
“Meticulously researched over the course of the last ten years, the recently released Long Island’s Prominent North Shore Families: Their Estates and Their Country Homes is a must-have resource for anyone interested in the era of the great estates. This two-volume set neatly fills a void which had existed in the available source material, namely the inter-relationships that existed among the families that owned these estates. The Spinzias provide biographies of the owners, estate architectural and landscape information, and a wealth of photographs, which is a huge boon to researchers of the estate era. The addition of this invaluable work to our library has already assisted numerous researchers. I can hardly wait to peruse their companion volume on the South Shore estates and their owners!
– Thomas A. Kuehhas, Director,
Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay, New York
". . . No other source book provides such well researched and detailed information about the people and the estates that populated the North Shore of Long Island . . .
"
– Myrna Sloam, Archivist, The Bryant Library,
Roslyn, NY
“. . . an incredible amount of data . . . These books are an excellent reference work and the Spinzias are to be congratulated for their significant contribution to Long Island's historical record."
– Dr. Natalie A. Naylor,
editor, Nassau County Historical Society Journal;
professor emerita, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY;
director emerita, Long Island Studies Institute, Hofstra University,
Hempstead, NY
Description of North Shore Volumes:
The Spinzias' two volume comprehensive analysis of the North Shore families
documents over 1,500 estate owners in a modified "Who's Who"
format. Included are 577 photographs of the estates, biographical data
on the estate owners and their families, location of estates using current
street references and village designations, estate names, acreage, architects,
architectural styles, dates of construction, landscape architects, subsequent
owners, location of archival photographs of the estates, and information
as to whether mansions are still extant and, if not, the dates of demolition.
Cross-referenced in the second-section appendices are estate names, village
locations of estates, as well as architectural and landscape commissions.
The civic activity and occupation appendices document the contribution
of Long Islanders, including statesmen, intelligence agents, financiers,
writers, and inventors. Maiden names, rehabilitative secondary uses of
estates including golf courses which were formerly private estates, motion
pictures filmed at estate sites, a general bibliography of the "Gilded
Age," and a bibliography specific to individual estate owners, with
the location of personal papers, have also been included.
Description of Babylon / Islip Volume:
Long Island's South Shore Gold Coast was a closely knit, but ethnically and
religiously diverse, community that developed decades before the better known
North Shore Gold Coast. This companion book to the Spinzias' two-volume
work about Long Island's North Shore estates documents 456 of these Long Island
South Shore estate owners in the same modified "Who's Who" format as in the
North Shore volumes. Included are 290 photographs of South Shore estates.
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About the Authors:
Judith and Raymond Spinzia are former Long Island residents, now residing
in central Pennsylvania. Their first book, Long Island: A Guide to New
York's Suffolk and Nassau Counties (New York: Hippocrene Books, 1988;
1991 (revised), is a standard reference book which has been used as a
textbook for teaching Long Island history and can still be found in almost
all public libraries and schools on Long Island. A third (revised) edition
of the guidebook is scheduled to be published in 2007. The Spinzias write
and speak, jointly and separately, on a variety of Long Island-related
subjects including the North and South Shore estates, Tiffany stained-glass
windows, and the Vanderbilts of Long Island. On several occasions their
lectures have been chosen by the radio station of The New York Times,
WQXR, as the cultural event of the day in the New York Metropolitan area.
Additionally, they have been featured on local television and radio programs
and in articles published by The New York Times, Newsday, and other regional
newspapers.
The Spinzias served as Long Island history consultants for a local cable
television channel that, in an effort to encourage local interest, aired
material from their guidebook twice daily.
They also were consultants for a Japanese television network for a documentary
on Louis Comfort Tiffany and contributed material to the Arts and Entertainment
Network's "Biography" series for its presentations on the Vanderbilt
and Tiffany families.
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