Chicago, Illinois: Contemporary Books, 1990. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xiii, [1], 239, [3] pages. Oversized book, measuring 12 inches by 9 inches. Includes a Foreword by Lee Iacocca, chairman of the Statue of Liberty--Ellis Island Foundation. Illustrated endpapers. Also contains a Prologue, as well as chapters on The Island; American Immigration: People and Policies to 1890; Building and Rebuilding an Immigration Station; The Rise of Anti-Immigration Sentiment; The Flood Time of Immigration, 1900-1917; The Decline of Ellis Island, 1917-1954; Limbo, 1954-1974; Restoration and Renovation, 1974-1990; and New Beginnings. Also includes an Author's Note, Bibliography, and Index, as well as an Index of Photographers, Illustrators, and Other Sources. Award-winning photographer Wilton Tifft provided the photographs for this book; six of his photographs have been selected as wall murals for the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The text documents the Ellis Island experience through powerful oral histories, letters from immigrants, and official archives. In May 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Iacocca to head the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, which was created to raise funds for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and the renovation of Ellis Island. Iacocca continued to serve on the board of the foundation until his death. Between 1892 and 1954, approximately twelve million newcomers passed through Ellis Island's processing station on their way to what they dreamed would be a new life with a bright future. More