The new “Allen County Photo Album 1955-59″ book is selling very well, but why do we find these wonderful old photos of Fort Wayne so appealing? And why do we sometime feel a nostalgia for an older time, even for a time before we were born?

Come to a presentation and book signing on Dec. 9 to get a closer look at many of the beautiful photos from The News-Sentinel’s archives and hear a discussion by book editor Jon Swerens about the stories they tell us about our past and our future.

“Longing for a city: Why we miss old Fort Wayne, and what we should do about it”

6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 9

Wells County Public Library

200 W. Washington St.

Bluffton, Ind.

Some of the people who worked on the book may be available for questions after the presentation. And both volumes of the book will be available for sale, plus copies of our slimmer book on the Flood of 1982.

If you are on Facebook, become a fan of our Allen County Photo Albums to hear more details about the books and receive news of coming events.

Want to continue the conversation? Come to thegoodcity.com and find the post about tonight’s event. Leave a comment and then stick around and read some of our posts over there.

If you pre-ordered a book, you can pick it up starting today at the front desk of Fort Wayne Newspapers, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne.

For more details, check out the front-page story in today’s News-Sentinel.

And get a sneak-peek at some photos from the book on today’s Features page.

Contact: Jon Swerens, (260) 461-8296 or jswerens@news-sentinel.com

Editor of local photo books to speak about old Fort Wayne … and why we miss it

Jon Swerens (pronounced SWUR-ens), editor of the popular “Allen County Photo Album” books published by The News-Sentinel, will evoke memories of Fort Wayne in the 1950s during an upcoming book signing and slideshow.

The event, titled “Longing for a city: Why we miss the old Fort Wayne and what we should do about it,” will be 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, and hosted by the Allen County Public Library at the main library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery.

The event is free, and the newest book, “Allen County Photo Album 1955-59,” will be available for sale.

Swerens will discuss the history of Fort Wayne and opportunities for its future by exploring historic city photographs taken by mid-century News-Sentinel photographers. After the talk, the audience will be invited to ask questions of Swerens, Photo Editor Brian Tombaugh and Researcher Laura Weston-Elchert.

For more information, visit http://acphotoalbum.wordpress.com or contact Swerens at (260) 461-8296 or jswerens@news-sentinel.com

Photos of Swerens and from the book are available upon request. Swerens is also available for interviews.

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About The News-Sentinel

The News-Sentinel is the oldest continuous business in Allen County, having begun as The Fort Wayne Sentinel on July 6, 1833. On Jan. 1, 1918, Fort Wayne’s two evening papers, The Sentinel and The Daily News, merged, creating The News-Sentinel. In 1950, the News-Sentinel formed a business arrangement with The Journal-Gazette to form Fort Wayne Newspapers Inc. Since 2006, The News-Sentinel has been owned by Ogden Newspapers of Wheeling, W.Va.

About Jon Swerens

Jon is the news and presentation editor for The News-Sentinel, where he has worked since 1998. He grew up in eastern Ohio and is a graduate of Martins Ferry (Ohio) High School and of West Virginia University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He and his wife Mary and their four children live in Fort Wayne.

Come to a presentation and book signing on Nov. 11 to get a closer look at many of the beautiful photos from The News-Sentinel’s archives and hear a discussion by book editor Jon Swerens about the stories they tell us about our past and our future.

“Longing for a city: Why we miss old Fort Wayne, and what we should do about it”

6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11

Allen County Public Library downtown branch

900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne

Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery

Many of the people who worked on the book will be available for questions after the presentation. And both volumes of the book will be available for sale.

If you are on Facebook, become a fan of our Allen County Photo Albums to hear more details about the books and receive news of coming events.

We will soon have to cut off our pre-order sales, so get your books now to save $5.

• Stop in at Mitchell Books in Covington Plaza on Jefferson Boulevard and tell any staff person you’d like to reserve a spot.
• Call Mitchell Books at (260) 423-BOOK (2665) and talk to an actual human being — they can’t accept voice mail requests.

Seating is limited to 60 people, so contact Mitchell soon if you want to make sure you get in.

But do not fear: If demand is especially high, Mitchell said we can do a second book signing later in the summer.

Well, mark your calendars for 6 p.m.  Saturday, May 23, when I will step into Studio M at Mitchell Books and give a visual presentation about:

• Some of our favorite photos from the book — and the stories behind them.
• Some photos that didn’t make the cut for some, um, interesting reasons.
• A sneak peek at some photos that will be in the next book.

Plus, I’ll have a fistful of black Sharpies if you’d like me to scrawl my signature across your book.

This will be a free but ticketed event because the venue holds only 60 people. If demand is high, Mitchell Books would be interested in having a second event.

Once I receive information from Mitchell about the ticketing procedure, I’ll post it here. (I’ll also run some ads in The News-Sentinel, in print and online.)

Remember, that first book is still available at area retailers and online right here.