Founded by German Mennonites in the early 19th century, Berlin (now Kitchener) and Waterloo were thriving cities when Peter Moyer published the first edition of the Berlin Daily News on February 19, 1878. Now called the Waterloo Region Record, the newspaper's commitment to top-notch reporting and community involvement is nowhere more evident than in "Flash from the Past," a weekly column devoted to preserving the region's past. In 2006, Record librarian Chris Masterman began inviting readers to share memories sparked by photos she unearthed from the newspaper's archive, a tradition carried on by columnist Jon Fear. Their responses tell the stories that history forgot--the treasured memories and careful details that make a community its own, forging a relationship between the Record and its readers that set a new standard for newsrooms across the country. Marking the 140th anniversary of the Waterloo Region Record's publication, Flash from the Past: 140 Photographs from the Waterloo Region Record showcases the column's best. Lovingly curated by Fear and Masterman, this one-of-a-kind collection celebrates the history of the area and those dedicated to preserving it.

Between these pages are images of the original acetate rubbings from Charlie Wagner's turn of the 20th century tattoo shop, The Black Eye Barbershop, in the Bowery at Chatham Square in New York. This is the only known art that has survived from this shop, where Samuel J. O'Reilley's modern-day electric tattoo machine was born and patented. The imagery of this classic flash preserves the origins of American tattoos, when tattoo art was transferred to the client from these templates via an acetate stencil. Everything was done by hand until O'Reilley's electrified tattoo machine changed history. This rich heritage of folk art has more than 900 individual pieces of flash that provide commentary on the shop's clientele and reveal some of the social, economic, and political ideas of the time. Including nautical themes, Asian imagery, flowers, boxers, circus characters, and plenty of girls, this is an exciting collection of early American flash and a necessary book for the tattoo artist, aficionado, and student.

“Finally back in print, Flash in the Pan is the original—and still the best—reportage on the life and death of an American restaurant, a ground level view of every phase of its life. From the early, hope filled planning stages to the last, humiliating moments, it's a tragi-comic epic of hubris and human folly. Painfully hilarious and even more painfully true. This is a welcome reissue of a restaurant classic that should be read by every culinary and food service student in America and sit comfortably next to Orwell's Down and Out on every shelf.” —Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential In 1990, journalist David Blum got backstage access to the life and death of The Falls, a downtown Manhattan restaurant that captured the 1980s in all its extravagant excess. Its owners—a tanned, Brahmin barkeep and a handsome Irish firefighter from Queens—partnered with movie star pal Matt Dillon to cater to New York's most glamorous models, actors, and writers. Flash in the Pan captured in hilarious detail the quick decline and disastrous fall of The Falls, and has become a classic cautionary tale for anyone who might harbor the fantasy of opening a restaurant. David Blum is the editor of Kindle Singles, the storefront for high quality longform writing on Kindle. He was previously the editor in chief of The Village Voice and has written for New York magazine, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine. Flash in the Pan, first published in 1992, was his first book.

As this latest collection of Flash tales written by Mark Waid begins, meet Walter West, a Flash from a parallel reality where his beloved Linda Park died and the speedster doles out brutal justice to criminals as a response. Can the two Flashes co-exist long enough to stop Replicant, a villain with the combined powers of the Rogues Gallery? Better find out fast-the longer Walter West stays on Wally’s Earth, the more he poses a threat to all of reality! Collects The Flash #151-162, The Flash Annual #12, and pages from The Flash Secret Files #2.

In 1990, Mark Waid wrote his first Flash story. Under his keen pen, Wally West, who had already been running in the footsteps of the Flashes who came before him, matured into a Flash in his own right. Waid brought a depth of character to The Flash that changed him for good. As a child, Wally visits his Aunt Iris and her distinctly boring fiancŽ, the perpetually tardy Barry Allen. Things get interesting for Wally, first when he discovers that Barry and The Flash work together, and then when an accident in BarryÕs lab gives him powers just like his heroÕs! Young Wally is quickly in danger-not only from The FlashÕs enemies, but from the side effects of his new powers! This first book in THE FLASH BY MARK WAID series collects THE FLASH #62-68, THE FLASH ANNUAL #4-5, THE FLASH SPECIAL #1 and THE FLASH TV SPECIAL #1.