The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York [Hardcover]

Jef Klein (Author), Cary Hazlegrove (Photographer)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Turner; 1 edition (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563119714
• ISBN-13: 978-1563119712
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #900,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A coffee table book, and more!, April 21, 2006

By 

Gregory Cassileth (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York (Hardcover)

This book is a high-quality coffee table book, but it's more than just a coffee table book: it covers a very interesting topic really well. The book itself is pretty large (about 10 inches), with a square layout. It covers about 30 bars and each one has a multi-page spread. The photos -- and there are a ton of them -- are great black and whites and are BIG. It isn't a guide book, but it could be for those who want an unusual tour of cool places where interesting things happened, and maybe grab a pint or two in the process... The writing is very readable and covers historic anecdotes on all of these places. Most of them predate prohibition and have a host of colorful characters and stories. If you haven't been to the bars in New York, there is nothing like them in the world and this book is a great way to have a deeper understanding of the history that helps make them so special. You have stories of gangsters in the twenties, political figures in the thirties, writers in the fifties. In New York, people live in the city, not in their apartments. This book gives you some understanding of why!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thirty Reasons to Love New York City, April 15, 2006

By 

Kirk R. Anderson (Norton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York (Hardcover)

It's clear that Jef Klein has a way with words, but you can't help thinking that she also has a way with people, given the stories and gossip that season her account.

It would be too bad if only locals knew about this book. Although it's probably not going to inspire any new walking tours of the city (and if I'm wrong, save me a spot!), the NYC tourism board should recommend it to all visitors.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transported, May 19, 2006

By 

Rosemary A. Gohd (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York (Hardcover)

Jef Klein sure knows how to put the reader in the story-or bar in this case - I thoroughly enjoyed "touring" the old glory days as well as the existing booths at some of the most interesting places NYC has to offer. I've made a list of which ones I plan to visit first- most notably the places with deep carpets, mood music, thick leather seats, soft lighting,and perhaps a celebrity or two (just for atmosphere). Thanks JK for a lovely evening! -RG