Customer Reviews

The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As several other reviewers have noted, this book was published in 1966 and so it doesn't contain any recent history. Nonetheless, it's an excellent introduction to NY from it's founding in the early 1600s to the 1960s.

I disagree with the reviewer who said that there are no colorful characters in this narrative and that the narrative is boring -- I found the book full of interesting characters (politicians like Boss Tweed, reporters such as William Randolph Hearst, and influential people like John Jacob Astor). Moreover, I found the narrative engaging enough to make it difficult to put down at times.

My only complaint is that the editing job is shabby. Not so much with typos or grammatical errors, but the sentence structure and the narrative flow is a bit awkward at times. Every now and again, Ellis will switch gears without any warning or explanation. It gets a bit frustrating.

Also, there are NO maps in this book. I used 4 different contemporary maps -- 2 for Manhattan/Queens, 1 for Brooklyn, 1 US map (for references to Boston, DC, and the south). At a minimum, you'll need a Manhattan street map and a NY state map to accompany your reading.

There are many newer. more contemporary histories of NYC--but, especially if you are interested in the early twentieth century period, this is still the best overview. Especially good for those who are intrigued by NYC but have a scant knowledge of its history.

Yes, I agree: Mr. Ellis may have bitten off more than he should've tried to chew in 1966. The book would have been best served if it had ended in 1898, at the time of the consolidation of the five boroughs into New York City. (This was what Burrows and Wallace did when writing GOTHAM, a book of similar length.) I also agree with other reviewers that a few maps and illustrations would've benefitted the work. But give the guy a break.
THE EPIC OF NEW YORK CITY is as good an introduction to the long, complex history of the city as anything else out there. In fact, it's better than most, in spite of its few historical errors. This is an enormous subject that would've daunted most historians. Mr. Ellis' passion and fascination for NYC history is evident on every page.
THE EPIC OF NEW YORK CITY is written in short, digestible chapters that make for sprightful, snappy reading. While uneven in terms of style, many of the segments are memorable. In particular, I enjoyed the sections that centered on Peter Stuyvesant, New York during the American Revolution, and the Blizzard of 1888. Those chapters alone were worth the price.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points Concluded, a Novel

This is an excellent work for any student of New York City.
It recites the history dating back to the 1600s and marching
forward. The thrust of the book is good. The author attempts
to tell the long history of the city throughout some key
periods of the American experience. This book would be
very useful to any student writing a book report on the
City of New York. There are so many facts recited that a
few may be in error. The work is a "must read" for students
of government, history, world culture, city planning and a
host of other academic specializations.

I had mixed feelings about this book. Yes, the material in it is somewhat outdated and there are a number of grammatical errors that an editor should have picked up on. I don't know about the veracity of the material, having not known anything about New York City before I read this book. But I thought it was a good introduction to the history of a very complex city.

The narrative is straightforward--it begins with the first European settlers on Manhattan in the late 16th century (led by da Verrazano) and concludes with the Harlen riots in the 1960s. The choice Ellis made to have the book end at the time he wrote was an odd one. It would have been better had the author chosen a definitive, historical event to conclude on. Warning: the book is not PC about history--it makes close to no mention of the very first people to live on Manhattan, the native Americans, and calls African Americans "negroes" throughout. The author also had the irritating habit of referring to New York City as "here." We all know what he's describing, but it was still a little bit disconcerting to read.

But I thought this book describes the people and places in New York city with great insight, and explains the origins of the names of places here.

Another thing I didn't like about this book (and I'm glad other people concur with me) is that there are no maps or pictures in the entire book. I'm only beginning to find my way around New York, and so it would have been nice to have had a map or two to look at as I was reading. It might also have been nice to have had images to look at so that I could get a sense of what New York was like back then.

A great book by noted American Diarist, E. R. Ellis, shows the humble birth of New York to the the great city it came to be. Not one to hide the seedy part of New York's past, he also includes the historical figures which made it great. If you don't know the origins of Knickerbocker, Bronx or Brooklyn, you will find them in these pages. Written in good narrative, it sounds more like a story then a history.

The book was entirely lacking in juicy anecdotal "grab you by the shorts" storytelling. It focussed too much on an endless parade of minor political figures who were neither interesting or compelling to read about. It actually bored me with it's endless city hall dealings and backroom political machinations. Where were the stories of all the ordinary, yet colourful men and women who painstakingly built the city brick by soot covered brick. Not in this book!

Although it is being marketed as if it were a new book, "The Epic of New York City" was written over thirty years ago. The author refers to people using antique adjectives such as Jewesses and redskins. He seems shocked that Greenwich Village attracts men who wear their hair long and women who wear it short. The book is also full of small but annoying errors (e.g.: Mayor LaGuardia was not born on Varick Street). The book has not been updated in any way and misleads the reader - McSorley's Ale House has admitted women since 1966, but the book states that it still is an all male establishment. I would recommend anyone interested in the history of New York to find a more current survey.

I had been looking for a long time for a book on the history of New York. This book fitted the bill. The chapters were just the right length for my commute and I could pick up the book and read a chapter during a free moment.

I have recommended this book to a number of people in my office and feel that it could be some time before i see my copy again.

My only grumble is that the book finished in 1965 and did not really go into a great deal of detail after the war.

This is the ideal book for anyone living in or moving to New York who wants to know about the great city.

It was a pleasure to read, more thrilling than most novels I've run across. Since it was published more than 40 years ago it doesn't include any of New York City's most recent history (which might be a good thing), however it is a great book for someone wanting to know about the foundation and development of one of the most interesting cities in the world, told by a man who spent most of his life being an active part of it. Ellis has a great control over the importance he gives to subjects, having to choose extracts from one of the longest kept diaries in the world he has a huge discipline for choosing important events over gossip and anecdotic situations.
Perfectly researched, with a quite impartial and objective view of things. It should be an obligation to read it before being allowed into the city.