The Havana Archive

the long version

"Once the playground of the rich and famous, where Cuban rum flowed in legendary nightclubs, luxury hotels, and casinos, and celebrities danced the mambo till dawn--as well as a vital hub for drug running and money laundering. This fascinating book, drawn from an archive of press photographs and ephemera thought to have been the property of Capone-era Chicago gangster and bookie Grover Dullard, captures the essence of Havana from the 1920s through the '50s with a wealth of evocative detail. Photographer Basil Hyman discovered this trove of Cuban treasures in Paris, and it led him on a voyage of discovery to Havana's rich past. His book's unique visual approach builds a picture of glamour and decadence in a mixture of photographs and memorabilia--postcards, menus, cocktail napkins, matchbooks, and much more; some reproduced as removable facsimiles. This book will transport the reader back to a long-lost world"--Publisher's description.