Just in time for Christmas, a 256-page book containing a collection of old-time picture postcards of Ottawa went on sale this week.

"Greetings from Ottawa," is the work of Jim Ridings of Hersher. The full-color, hardcover book has images of more than 400 postcards depicting Ottawa scenes from the late 1800s through the mid-20th Century.

As Ridings noted, such postcards were popular before more advanced means of communication took over.

The book is available at the Book Mouse, Ottawa Visitors Center and at Walgreens, all in Ottawa.

The postcard images are from the holdings of Ridings, Dorothy Clemens, Bob Jordan and Walter Alsene.

Ridings has penned a number of other books, including "Old Ottawa Scenes," which he wrote with Bob Jordan and which was published earlier this year. Ridings was an Ottawa Daily Times reporter in the 1970s. He also worked at the Aurora Beacon News. His wife is the former Janet Saleda of Ottawa.

A portion of the profit from sales of "Greetings from Ottawa," will go to the La Salle County Genealogy Guild in Ottawa.

-- DAN CHURNEY

danc@mywebtimes.com

815-431-4050