Customer Reviews

The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of Nearly 400 Years of New York City's History

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It would be impossible to do justice to the history of New York City in a couple of hundred pages, so approaching this book with realistic expectations is important. With that in mind, this book is a wonderful overview of a fascinating metropolis, beginning with the formation of the land mass and continuing through its inhabitance by the Manahatta, the Dutch, the Brits and the Americans. Key historical eras are covered including the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and many areas of interest are addressed such as immigration, politics, sports, the arts and architecture.

There are many photographs, drawings, charts and maps, and I appreciated that the scales were similar so that a reader can compare various maps easily.

Articles are well-written and graphics are clean and well-designed. I would call this more an historical almanac of NYC, but whatever you call it, it is a fun and interesting read.

Mr. Homberger's book, as the subtitle explains, is a VISUAL celebration. And on that level, the book is highly successful. In other words, don't expect any in-depth, thorough analysis of 400 years of NYC history. (For that, read Burrows and Wallace's GOTHAM.) To me, the sections dealing with pre-Revolutionary War New York are the most valuable, and Ms. Hudson's artwork is at its best there. This book is a great introduction to NYC history. I've lent my copy to several people over the years, and I return to it, again and again. Read, learn and enjoy.

Rocco Dormarunno
Author of The Five Points

Though a few facts are inaccurate here and there, the general look and presentation of this book makes it an absolute pleasure to read through. It's not a page for page heart-stopping, boring narrative of historical facts, but rather a full color 400 year history of the greatest city in the world: New York City! Includes maps, authentic photos, amusing stories and very interesting accounts of the evolution of the region. You will enjoy it.

I just finished the Historical Atlas and while the book does a great job of touching on so many subjects in such a small space, it leaves a little to be desired because it does not focus on any one point in the city's development enough. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had a little more detail on how landmarks came to be where they are, and what the political an social culture of the city was at different time points that influenced the way the city developed. I suppose that wasn't the book's intent, though. Also, it would be nice to get a follow up chapter on the city's continued development since 1994. Overall, I thought the book was a good intro to NYC history, but I think I'm going to try a more in-depth history to fill in some gaps.

This is a good book for a quick overview of NYC history, but it skimps a bit on some detail. The collection of maps and illustrations help bring the history to life.

I agree with Timothy Durkin's December 1999 customer review that this book contains a number of errors and inconsistencies, but my judgment is not as harsh. I also believe a great deal of information that should appear in a historical atlas about the city is inexcusably omitted. However, this is an appealling, informative book and makes for enjoyable reading and reference.

Insofar as positive attributes, the book contains wonderful graphics and color reproductions; is printed on good quality, non-glare paper; and, for a paperback, is well bound. Insofar as flaws, they are both minor and major. Minor flaws consist of editorial oversights such as the misstatement on page 176 that the Broadway musical OKLAHOMA! was written by Rodgers & Hart when it was written by Rodgers & Hammerstein, and the photograph on page 146 reproduced in reverse. (Looking south toward the Flatiron Building, Madison Square Park should be on the left and the World Trade Center Towers should be on the right). Major flaws consist of omission of maps or other graphics pertaining to vanished landmarks such as Jones Wood, an open space on the upper East side once considered as the site for Central Park; Chelsea when it was a country estate; and the Five Points. I had hoped to see maps of large 18th and 19th century upper Manhattan tract holdings; of the boundaries of the Battery before and after Castle Clinton went from island fortification to part of the mainland; of the gradual expansion by landfill of the Manhattan shoreline; and of unique streets and alleys, long vacated. Those, too, are absent.

A conflict is presented by the maps of the DeLancey farms on pages 60-61. On page 60, Division St. is shown to traverse the property, but on page 61 it is absent. According to Burrows & Wallace's GOTHAM, Division St. was the boundary separating the DeLancey and Rutgers estates, hence the derivation of the name [see GOTHAM page 178]. If Burrows & Wallace are correct, the presence of Division St. on page 60 is error.

Finally, although not mentioned by the author, the Dutch house appearing on page 30 reappears in subsequent renditions on pages 56 and 62. The house is readily identifiable by its facade numbering scheme. This may be a minor point, but one, I would have thought, worthy of note.

This was my "elementary course" in the history of New York City, my favourite city in the world (well, actually, that was Manhattan). But a lovely, extremely readable, well-written and informative book with incredibly detailed and creatively laid-out maps. With this basic knowledge of the history of NYC intact, I'm moving on to my next goal -- Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 by Burrows and Wallace. Don't we all love New York?

An eye-opening look at the unfolding of Manhattan Island's current sprawl. Chock-a-block with maps and diagrams, but not skimping on the text. If you're at all interested in the city's history, spend the money.

This book is virtually useless to a serious student of New York City. While it does have some nice features, such as the "Fortunes of Three New York Baseball Teams, 1903-1957" on p. 155, the are so many errors as to render it worthless. The worst example: p. 102 "City of Stores" map where all the stores on 6th Ave. & 23rd St. are shifted one block north of their correct locations and the labels for 2 of these stores (Stern's & Horner Furniture) are switched and two streets (University Place & 4th Ave) are mislabeled (4th Ave. & Bowery, respectively)! This is a waste of money.

Ever wonder why downtown NYC is a labrynthine maze which makes no sense? Blame it on the early settlers. Read tons of more interesting facts about our marvelous city.