Books and Articles

In 2006, I wrote my first book, Historic Photos of San Francisco, published by . The book contains over 200 historical photographs of the City by the Bay from the mid-19th through late-20th centuries, accompanied by chapter introductions and captions which tell the story of the people, places, and events which together form the unique history of my hometown.

You can read about the book on Turner's page here. Turner publishes a wide variety of photography and history books about cities across the US. I am their youngest author ever.

You can buy the book directly from Turner, from your local bookstore, or online:


 

In 2007, after spending a year in Paris, I researched and wrote my second book, Historic Photos of Paris, also published by Turner.  This books highlights photos of Paris during the 19th and 20th centuries which I collected from my research in international archives.  You can read about the book on Turner's page here, and can purchase the book directly from Turner, from your local book store, or online:



I am currently conducting research for my third book, Historic Photos of the San Francisco Presidio.

I am also the author of an article soon to be published in the Encyclopedia of San Francisco on the Civil War in San Francisco: "Manufacturing Patriotism; How Union Loyalists Propogated Fear to Gain Support for San Francisco During the Civil War."

In the Press

My books have received a number of positive reviews in the mainstream, specialty, and online press.

Historic Photos of San Francisco

"Her captions contain colorful backstories of buildings and streets we pass by every day, as well as major and minor events of daily life in "the Paris of the West" from 1860 through the 1960s: union rallies, baseball games, downtown shopping and even traffic jams. It's a fresh look at the past, with fascinating details that add up to a vivid history."

          -San Francisco Chronicle, February 15, 2007

"Last fall, graduate student Rebecca Schall accomplished a gargantuan task. She sifted through books and articles at the San Francisco Public Library, conducted interviews with longtime residents across the city, and published "Historic Photos of San Francisco" (Turner Publishing, '06), a book that takes readers on a tour of the City by the Bay from 1860 to the 1960s.

"Anyone who flips through this book can learn quite a bit," says Asssociate Professor Sarah Curtis. "Rebecca crammed as much history as possible into the text and captions."

          -SF State Magazine, Spring 2007 (Quarterly alumni magazine of San Francisco State University)

"It is daytime. Some men are wearing three-piece suits and bowler hats. Some have dark, dirty pants and vests on. There are also a few girls in the crowd, some wearing long dresses and hats with bows. They're all standing outside a saloon - founded in the 1850s - that featured taxidermy, live monkeys, kangaroos and a trained parrot "legendary for its fondness for alcohol and ability to curse in four different languages.

In her new book, 'Historic Photos of San Francisco,' Richmond District resident Rebecca Schall - who, at 25 years old, is the youngest author ever published by the "Historic Photos" series - writes: "From its founding, San Francisco has been a haven for eccentrics, mavericks and curious individuals." 

          -The Richmond Review, February 2007 (San Francisco neighborhood newspaper)

"Rebecca Schall has a love of history and is fascinated by the culture that evolves in city life over time. Being a native of San Francisco, California--one of the most important metropolitan centers in the world--it makes sense that Rebecca would use her knowledge of that area to present her first book in 2006, Historic Photos of San Francisco. She has brought the unique and diverse history of San Francisco to life as seen through the eyes, and lenses, of the photographers that were there to see this city grow from a frontier missionary town, boom through the silver and gold rush days, to become the varied culture, beautiful city that it is today."

          -Southwest Blend (Southwestern US-focused web site)

"I (literally) jumped up and down as I flipped through the pages of this 200+ page treasure chest. This book is fantastic — nothing but fun!... Whatever your pleasure, it’s probably here in glorious and crisply detailed black and white — each photo dated, documented, and nicely put into context. There are other books in the category of “cool shots of the old city”, but if you’re looking for instant transportation to every decade of San Francisco’s history, give this one a look...If you enjoy it as much as I did, drop by Rebecca Schall’s book signing."

          -Sparkletack (San Francisco history web site)

"I’ve recently been enjoying a hefty, beautiful book about San Francisco, called, simply, Historic Photos of San Francisco, with text and captions by Rebecca Schall. Dozens of photographs culled from the collections of the San Francisco Public Library span two centuries of the city’s development, from its beginnings as “The Paris of the West” in the late 19th century to the turbulent sixties...A great coffee table book for anyone with an interest in San Francisco history."

          -Sans Serif (Blog of Michelle Richmond, author of San Francisco-focused novel The Year of Fog)

"Historic Photos of San Francisco makes for more than just a nice coffee table book: it's an invaluable testimonial and historic reference for the generations to come."

          -Customer review on Amazon.com

Historic Photos of Paris

"This delightful book revisits the life and times of one of the world's great capitals. With photos and short vignettes the author traces Paris' major events dating from Haussmann rebuilding Paris  to the Belle Epoque to the city's occupation and liberation to the May 1968 student movement. . .This coffee table book would be an excellent gift for that friend who once lived in Paris... or those who dream of it." 

          -Paris Voice (Paris-focused web site)

"If you like to be intrigued by photos and if you love Paris, you will want Rebecca Schall’s Historic Photos of Paris on your coffee table...Here is Paris, warts and all. The text makes no effort to romanticize, to sugar coat. The photos, many from the Roger Viollet Agency, show a cross section of Paris life and people and icons. Paris at work and Paris at play. Paris at war and Paris at peace...I love the Paris of this book."

          -French Kitchen in America (French-focused web site)

"It's been almost a year since my last visit to France, and I miss it. Knowing that there's no visit on the horizon accentuates the longing; writing about the darn place nearly every day doesn't help.  I had moments of relief while looking through a new coffee table book, Historic Photos of Paris, by Rebecca Schall...Many familiar sites are given their due. Some of these photographs document how well the city has preserved its heritage, but others, such as one of the Rue Mouffetard (a favorite spot of mine) from the 1920's, show how much has changed. Schall is generous with her captions, giving each photograph an extensive explanation and a context, and there's often a note about the current state of a subject as well."

          -The French Journal (French-focused web site)

"In two words: utterly brilliant. Schall's vision of paris is the proverbial madeleine that ushers back memories long forgotten, of walks along the seine in the spring. This book is a masterpiece. i've never seen anything like it. "

          -Customer review on Amazon.com