Look at the customs and folklore hidden in the address book

Through the origin, evolution and connotation of street addresses and house numbers, we cut into the "history" and "present" of the city, customs and folk customs, and explore and think about identity and other issues.

The Story of The Address

Author: (American) Deldrie Musk

Translator: Xu Ping Tan Xinmu

Publisher: Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press| Qingdou Bookstore

What is the use of a street address? This is a question that few people think about, and even if someone thinks about it, most people will think that the role of street addresses is to ensure accurate delivery of mail, to get people to receive packages, or to keep travelers from getting lost. The Story of Addresses tells us that addresses have played a deeper and more complex role in history: the practice of numbering individual houses began in Vienna in the 18th century, when Maria Teresa, the leader of the Habsburg Empire, ordered it not to help subjects find their way in the city, but to collect taxes and conscript soldiers; in 19th-century London, Dr. John Snow used the city's newly created house numbers to pinpoint the source and route of a cholera epidemic; the author also told India, Examining place names in South Korea and Ireland, tracing the different ways in which these countries created, commemorated, and in some cases banned the use of street names...

The book begins with a simple question: "Why is street address so important?" To answer this question, the authors traveled and collected information in more than a dozen important and world-famous and influential cities, studying how people describe where they live and what that description says. These fascinating characters and history reveal how street names and house numbers relate to people's identities.

About the Author:

Deldrie Musk holds a master's degree in writing from the National University of Ireland, has published regularly in newspapers such as The New York Times, and has taught at Harvard University and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Text/Guangzhou Daily, New Flower City Reporter: Sun Jun

Photo/ Guangzhou Daily, New Flower City Reporter: Sun Jun

Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Xie Yufen