6The purpose of this book is not to create another history of Dover, but to provide a pictorial journey of what Dover looked like in the past, compared to the present day. The Thom Hindle Collection is made up of original photographer's negatives; many are glass plates, acquired over a period of fifty years from the families of local photographers, who captured these early scenes on large cumbersome wooden cameras mounted on tripods. At great expense, the plates have been purchased, wrapped in archival sleeves and envelopes and stored with great care. Some were found in attics, or in lofts in barns slowly deteriorating from the elements. Others were destined for a landfill. Many of these images, seen here for the first time, would not have survived had they not been rescued in time by the author.