The Jersey Shore is many things to many people. It is 127 miles of sand and surf, a sanctuary of untamed marshlands and endless dunes, a home to kitschy boardwalks, quirky shops, pulsing casinos, and countless examples of offbeat culture. But, above all, it is a powerful repository of nostalgia. The local historical societies are filled with photographs and memoirs describing what has been lost, landmarks razed, houses demolished, and beaches terminally eroded. Sometimes it seems that the inexorable drive of development is well on its way to eradicating all traces of the fabulous,...