Customer Reviews

The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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

In spite of the rave reviews by the author's friends and relatives, the main value of this book is the photography and the addresses of the bars. However, there is a good deal of misinformation resulting from a failure by the author to do any serious research.For example, the author cites an ignorant hanger-on in McSorley's bar as her source for its history. She would have done better to have read the New York Times November 19, 1995; September 29.1996; The AIA Guide to New York City 2004; The Blue Guide to New York; and An Architectural Guide To The Metropolis, McGraw Hill 2003. McSorley's opened in 1862 not 1854 as she claims. Lincoln could never have visited after his Cooper Union speech-it was an empty lot at that time.

She fails to acknowledge that her information about The Bridge Cafe And Fanelli's Café is lifted from the research that I did for the owners. Even so, she manages to insert some misinformation.There is no evidence whatever that Fanelli's building ever harbored a brothel. Nicholas Gerdes never bought the building - he leased it from the Gerken Family. Gerdes does not appear in any census as the author claims.

She could have asked the owner of The White Horse for a copy of the detailed research that a NYU graduate student did about the tavern which tells an accurate story quite different from her account. The owner gave a copy to me.

She has the Ear Inn and The Old Town quite wrong. A black man named James Brown never owned the Ear Inn as she claims. The earliest record of it serving liquor is 1889. (Consult the tax assessment records in the N.Y.C. Municipal Archives and the City Directories.). No one knows when it was built. There is no record. The Old Town was not started by Harry Viemeister in 1892. He did not arrive here as owner until 1913. It was started in 1892 by Jacob Burckel whose name is on the 1896 license behind the bar. The owner could have given her all this information.

Everything here about the former patrons of the Paris Café is myth. The author does not have an ounce of evidence to support her tall tales.

The building that hosts Pete's Tavern dates from 1851 not 1829. It was never called the Portman Hotel. (Consult the City Register's office 66 John Street and the other above sources.) O.Henry did not write The Gift of the Magi in the tavern. We have the word of his editor at the former New York World, William W. Williams, about this matter.

After reading these entries I have little confidence in her accuracy about the other bars. There is little evidence of serious research in this book -- except for what she lifted from me without acknowledgment. In many cases she apparently repeated whatever the guy behind the bar told her. I cannot recommend this book to any person with a serious interest in the history of these bars.

Knowledgeably authored by Jef Klein and featuring the outstanding photography of Cary Hazelgrove, The History And Stories Of The Best Bars Of New York is an intriguing collection of histories and tales about the inherently fascinating and justly famed bars, pubs, and clubs of New York City. Introducing readers to an extensive survey of New York bars, The History And Stories Of The Best Bars Of New York includes fun stories and facts presented in a casual, almost conversational style, for places such as Milano's Bar, the Dublin House, The Sketchpad, Callahan's, White Horse Tavern and many more. The History And Stories Of The Best Bars Of New York is very highly recommended to all New York scene enthusiasts and bar-hoppers veterans for its remarkable clarity and universal comprehension of its unique and exclusive content.

Jef Klein gives us the history (Cary Hazlegrove supplies photos) of Klein's 30 picks for the accolade: best bars in New York City. From the inimitable "21" Club, to swank hotel bars, to several kinds of Irish establishments (both the lace-curtain and the sawdust-on-the-floor types), to waterfront watering holes, to the last speak-easy in the city, these and the whole range in between are wonderfully described by Klein in this handsome coffee table book. The thumbnail histories of each bar offer the native New Yorker or the visitor an enticement, if one's needed, to visit each bar on the list. The sometimes quirky stories add to the charm of these places: whether it's the bar where the ashes of a longtime regular are kept on display (now, that's loyalty) or those places connected with political, literary, theatrical, or high society New York. A helpful index of proper names allows you to find with ease those establishments connected with the celebs who frequented them: from Brooke Astor and Dan Aykroyd to Ren?e Zellweger and Florenz Ziegfeld.

Great book, I'm slowly crossing off the bars as we visit them. The history of NY is amazing and bars are a key element of that history. Love the stories behind a lot of these places.

Mr. Klein has done a remarkable job of bringing to life some of the most well known bars and restaurants of New York to life in this photographic collection. Revisit the glory days of historic New York with this title. Each bar or restaurant has its own individual chapter, detailing the history of the location through pictures and antidotes. This form allows a more intimate introduction for the reader, especially if you are not terribly familiar with the business.

This is a must have for anyone's personal collection, would make a beautiful gift for those that enjoy a leisurely stroll through history with entertaining captions along with a healthy dose of beautifully taken photographs. This is one title I highly recommend.

So glad I bought this book and can think of several people it would make a great gift for. I plan to use it as the basis of a few tours of New York (though at this point in my life, I'll only be sipping water at the later stops). What a fun thing to do with out-of-town guests--and the book will make you an excellent tour guide, as it contains so many great stories. You can tell that the author, Jef Klein, is a former bartender and somebody who knows and loves New York. Her passion for these places is contagious--it makes you want to visit them...or maybe head to your neighborhood bar and become part of the lore. The photos by Cary Hazlegrove are also incredible, and one of the great things is that they're in black and white, which is so fitting for the book's sense of history.

I just received this book and I LOVE it! Got it for my husband for Father's Day and he is going to flip when he sees it! He works in NYC and goes out all the time with clients and all of us to most of the places in the book. Now he'll have lots of stories from each place. The book has lots of insight and details about each bar and the pictures are wonderful. I highly recommend it!