Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 [Paperback]

Edwin G, and Mike Wallace Burrows (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1999

ISBN 0965068537. Like the city it celebrates, Gotham is massive and endlessly fascinating. This narrative of well over 1,000 pages, written after more than two decades of collaborative research by history professors Edwin Burrows and Mike Wallace, chronicles New York City from the primeval days of the Lenape Indians to the era when, with Teddy Roosevelt as police commissioner, the great American city became regarded as Capital of the World. (Description by http-mart)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; 4th Printing edition (1999)
• ASIN: B001ADAIZS
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,451,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Endlessly fascinating story of an endlessly fascinating city, November 7, 1999

By 

Elizabeth O'Brien (Ipswich, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (Hardcover)

I have only read about a tenth of this mammoth work so far and I have found it to be one of the best written and most interesting books I've ever come across. As an Australian, I've always had a great fascination with New York (I've been there twice) - it's history, it's beautiful skyline and it's great contribution in so many areas like the arts & architecture (the Chrysler Building is one of the most gorgeous pieces of modern design in the world, in my opinion). So, to read such a marvellously written work on the city itself was a book I couldn't resist. Despite it's weight (it's quite a load to carry to work every day on the train) I LITERALLY can't put it down. Well done, Professors Burrows & Wallace - I can't wait for the next volume from 1898 onwards!

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'd read a thousand more pages, January 29, 2003

By 

Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (Hardcover)

When I see a 1,000+ page book on any subject, I really have to wonder if it will be worth the time I'd have to invest reading it. I am happy to say that Burrows and Wallace's GOTHAM was worth every second I spent poring through its pages. BOTH TIMES! GOTHAM is very compelling and very witty, and, at the same time, terrifying and troubling when you read about some of the atrocities committed on this tiny island. The treasure-trove of illustrations along the way only add to the enjoyment of the narrative. I can't recommend it highly enough. To me, however, the book is an important reminder that the history of New York City is richer, older, and more complex than the other US cities we tend to think of as historic, like Boston, Philadelphia, or DC. The history of New York City, laden with hope and tragedy, friction and cooperation, tolerance and intolerance, greed and charity, has never been given the majestic yet human voice it deserves, until now. GOTHAM lets you celebrate the history of New York as you learn about it. To me, that's worth every second of reading.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable, Remarkable, fascinating, May 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (The History of New York City) (Paperback)

This is the definitive book on New York City history and is a remarkable accomplishment for it's authors. You'll find in Gotham not only a history of New York City (and an exhaustive one at that) but by default, a companion to the study of the foundations of this nation. Gotham is remarkably colorful in it's portrayal of the many characters that make up the history of this great city but doesn't skimp on poignant, and sometimes sobering, detail. An ambitious read, but worth every word. This is the kind of book that spawns the reading of ten more!

A sure cure for the unfortunate predisposition of the popular media to portray the history of New York as beginning with the first immigrant who set foot on Ellis Island (the book terminates prior to 1900). Read Gotham and become immersed in the richness of the mostly untold New York story.