THEN AND NOW
Fascinating Philly Facts Queen Villager Jim Murphy gets to the point with his book about Philadelphia history.
Interviewed by Richard De Wyngaert
J
im Murphy, longtime resident of Queen Village and QVNA volunteer, has written a book on the history of Philadelphia, Real Philly History, Real Fast, published by Temple University Press. I sat down with Jim to discuss this compilation of fascinating facts and entertaining material for even the most serious students of Philadelphia history.
Richard De Wyngeart: A rather unique approach to writing history—why that title? Jim Murphy: Because everything in the book is focused on providing quick information to people. The stories all began with The Society Hill Reporter, and later I went over to the QVNA magazine.
QUEEN VILLAGE QUARTERLY CRIER \\ SUMMER 2021
RD: What else about the format should people know? JM: Well, for every chapter, there’s a headline and a sub-headline that give people a really good idea about the chapter. Paragraphs are all short, with a lot of bullet copy and fast facts at the end. It’s a pretty complete picture of a person, or a site, in about 750 words. The book consists of 51 short columns that cover a broad swath of Philadelphia history—things you’d love to know but often don’t—until you’ve read the book. They’re all quick reads, but there’s a great deal of information packed into each column. The reader benefits because there are no wasted words. Every story gets right to the point. RD: Philadelphia has such a rich and storied history. How did you decide what to include in your book? JM: In 2010 when I started writing these columns, I became a real explorer of the city. If I saw something interesting, I would write about it. If I saw a sign, or a building, or a gravestone that I knew nothing about, but intrigued me, I would investigate until I understood its significance. In about 2015, I moved from The Society Hill Reporter to the QVNA Magazine and focused my columns almost
