New York: An Illustrated History

by James Sanders, Lisa Ades, Ric Burns

Book Overview

The companion volume to the PBS television series, with more than 500 full-color and black-and-white illustrations This lavish and handsomely produced book captures all the beauty, complexity, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679454829
• ISBN13: 9780679454823
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 5.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 8.9" x 11.7"

Customer Reviews

The BEST book about New York City's History

This is the story of New York City, elegantly written and generously illustrated. Of all of the various books about New York's history -- this is the one to have.

A must-have!

I remember glancing at this book for the first time last spring, at the bookstore in Jersey Gardens...I must have been in there for over an hour, and even made myself comfortable sitting on the floor. This book is just great; and although it's next to impossible to squeeze every detail about NYC into one book (Try 'Gotham' if that's what you're going for), this book is definately one of the finest out there. I knew within the first 5 minutes that I wanted this book. The pictures and drawings featured are simply amazing, and would fascinate any NYC history buff for sure. Point in case- Get this book!

One of the Best of Its Kind

This is a huge book with plenty of text and hundreds of relevant, beautiful illustrations and photos. Just about the entire transcript of the multi-award winning PBS documentary, Ric Burns' NEW YORK is here, along with previously unpublished essays by the documentary's featured commentators. This alone makes the book worth the price and worth the time reading. And, if you don't feel like reading, just browse through the incredible photographs and graphics. That is why this is one of the best illustrated books on New York history out there.And please pay no mind to the critics and reviewers who whine that there is no reference to the New York Yankees or "Why isn't this building discussed?" or "How can they have left out this museum and that park and those guys?" People, PLEASE! This is not a book about the history of West Orange, New Jersey. For Pete's sake, it's New York City! To have included everything would require volumes and volumes... and that still wouldn't cover everything. As I said, this book is one of the best of its kind. Buy it, read it, stare at the pictures, enjoy!Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points Concluded

The Contrast of Rich and Poor Vividly Displayed

Every history book has a slant. This one has several, but the most dramatic one is the portrayal of the vast gulf between rich and poor that has long been part of New York City's uniqueness. Each side gets a lot of attention. A secondary slant is the theme of the city's change from a rural area into a metropolis with manufacturing to the modern city mostly of financial markets, stores, entertainment, and residents. To keep it interesting, the book also goes out of its way to provide little known factoids. For example, Manhattan was probably purchased for cash rather than trinkets and the value of the cash was closer to $600 than the famed $24 we all have heard so much about (someone used the wrong currency exchange rate in the past). There's a nice story about the origins of Typhoid Mary, who inadvertently poisoned those she cooked for. You will also learn that disease was once so rampant that 1 in 25 adults died each year. Without immigrants, the city would not have grown.Those who are descended from those who immigrated through Ellis Island into one of the ethnic neighborhoods will find many photos to remind them of their heritage. There are also excellent photographic perspectives on the development of the African American community beginning from the Dutch slaveholding days. The development of the major bridges is one of the visual pleasures of the book. The building of Central Park is a close second. The water piping pictures are quite remarkable, as well. The book will delight those who do not know much about New York City, but would like to know more. Coming from California, New York City did not get much attention in the history books after the Revolutionary War except when financial markets crumbled. So much of this was new to me.The book will probably be even more of a delight to those who are from New York City. This is almost like a family album. I got a lot of pleasure from seeing how areas in the city that I know well have changed over the years. In many cases, you get to see an intersection as a farm, then as a tenement, then as a skyscraper, and sometimes even as a second (more famous) skyscraper. There is also a lot that is missing. You will find little about higher education (except the building of Columbia in Morningside Heights), museums, libraries, and the magnificent interior art in New York. Performing arts are almost excluded except for Vaudeville and Broadway. The development of air transportation and television are also little developed. But one volume cannot do everything.When you are done, ask yourself, "What are the irresistible forces about a great city that must be taken advantage of?" That can be a useful guide to ordinary citizens as well as those who provide services in such metropolises. Have a great visit to New York City!

Excellent, Glittering History of the "City of Cities"

This book is so complete in its description of events from New York City's very beginnings, through its infancy, its growing pains, and its present status as possibly the greatest city in the world.The detailed explanation of events is awe-inspiring, fascinating, and makes one feel as if they were there to witness it all.Being a New York State resident, this book makes me feel proud to be a New Yorker! Thanks to the authors, and all associated with this work for a wonderful piece of history.