Customer Reviews

History of the City of Brooklyn - 3 Vol Set: Including the Old Town and Village of Brooklyn, the Town of Bushwick, and the Village and City of Williamsburgh

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This is "it". This is "the" book on the history of truly Old Brooklyn. This set of three books was published by private subscription between 1867 and 1870 in very limited numbers. They are basically impossible to find these days outside of some downloadable copies available on the Web without the remarkable collection of engravings. Ever wanted to see what the first Brooklyn fire engine looked like? When and where did cholera break out in Brooklyn? What happened and what buildings burned down during The Great Fire of Brooklyn of 1848? What is the story of The Tomb of The Martyrs? How many Brooklyn houses no longer had outhouses in 1869? All of these queries and countless more are answered in very readable fashion in this offering.

The first volume covers up to The War of 1812 with chapters on Discovery, The Early Settlers and Patents, Civil History 1646-1664, Ecclesiastical History 1628-1664, Civil History 1664-74, Ecclesiastical History 1664-1803, Civil History 1675-1775, Domestic History of the People to the Revolution, Brooklyn During the Revolution, Revolution to 1812, and Brooklyn's Share in The War of 1812 totalling 464 pages with an index. The second volume covers 1812-1869 broken down into History of the Town until Incorporation of the Village, "Brooklyn Sixty Years Ago", 1817-1834, 1834-1855, Early Settlers and Patents of Bushwick, Bushwick 1660-1708, Ecclesiastical History of Bushwick 1700-1869, Bushwick During the Revolutionary War, Bushwick and Williamsburgh from The Revolution to 1854, Green-Point, and The Consolidated City of Brooklyn 1855-1869 totalling 500 pages. The final volume covers much of the infrastructure of Brooklyn in ferry history, railroads and plankroads, docks and commerce, manufactures, water and drainage (including the history of the Ridgewood Water Works), conversion of plumbing from outhouses to sewers, History of the Brooklyn Fire Department, public parks and cemeteries (with engravings of larger cemeteries), histories of all churches and mission schools in Brooklyn up to 1869, Hospitals, Dispensaries, Asylums, Benevolent/Religious Institutions and Associations, The History of Brooklyn Public Education, Other Educational Establishments, Libraries, Public Amusements, Art Institutions, Brooklyn newspapers, public institutions and buildings, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Brooklyn Post Office, and militia histories totalling 458 pages with an index for Volume 2 and Volume 3.

The books themselves are each about an inch thick and eight by five with glossy heavy paper for covers. They are not made to last 150 years, but they are absolutely perfect for casual, attentive reading and learning! Each of the original illustrations and maps are included in fold-out form. As a personal fanatic for the history of Brooklyn during and before the Civil War, I cannot even begin to recommend these volumes high enough. This offering was truly a labor of love for the citizens of young Brooklyn by Dr. Henry Reed Stiles who diligently spent over ten years compiling it and he succeeded spectacularly! Yes, the price is quite steep even for three paperback volumes, but THIS IS THE ONE TO HAVE if you love the rich and varied history of Old Brooklyn. Remember, it only covers up to 1869, but was written by a person who was surrounded then by much of this history! Go for it!