BERLIN — Local author Robert M. Craig will launch the publication of his new book on Ocean City with a free illustrated talk on the “History of the Postcard,” to be presented Wednesday May 10 at 6 p.m. at the Ocean Pines Library.
The new book is entitled, “Historic Lodgings of Ocean City: The Fisher Collection” and is the author’s fifth book on Ocean City. For those interested, Historic Lodgings and others of Craig’s several books will be available at the talk for purchase and for the author to sign. The newest book surveys the history of tourist accommodations in Ocean City from historic shingle-clad hotels, to tourist cabins/cottages and camps, to “Doo Wop” motels, to condo towers. Illustrations are primarily drawn from the postcard collection of Robert and Kathy Fisher of Snow Hill, to whom the book is dedicated.
The free public talk on the “History of the Postcard” is a fascinating review of the changing styles of postcards, illustrated primarily by postcards of Ocean City. Craig’s presentation will show early hand-colored postcard images distributed by Frank Townsend’s pharmacy, as well as the wide range of postcards produced by the Curt Teich Company, the world’s largest printer of postcards during the early and mid-20th century. Included also will be more recent postcards displaying images by local Eastern Shore photographers.
Craig will also share information about his forthcoming companion book, “Ocean City’s Historic Boardwalk, Beach, and Bay: The Fisher Collection,” due to be published in July.
Craig is a historian of architecture, art, and popular culture and has authored 16 books. He taught for four decades at the architecture school of the College of Design, Georgia Tech in Atlanta and in recent years he and his family restored the Virginia and Robert S. Craig Summer Cottage in Ocean City, one of two properties in Ocean City listed on the National Register of Historic Places and which he now maintains as his family’s summer home. The author’s father served for over 50 years on the Ocean City Beach Patrol (as captain from 1946-87). Craig has published two histories of the beach patrol that will also be available at the May 10 talk.