The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909: Compiled from Original Sources and Illustrated by Photo-Intaglio Reproductions of Important Maps, Plans, Views, and Documents in Public and Private [Hardcover]

I. N. Phelps Stokes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998 | ISBN-10: 1886363307 | ISBN-13: 978-1886363304

Stokes, I.N. Phelps. The Iconography of Manhattan Island 1498-1909. New York: Robert H. Dodd, 1915. Six volumes. Reprinted 1998 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 97-30604. ISBN 1-886363-30-7. Cloth. $750. Reprint edition of Stokes' magnificent and comprehensive illustrated history of Manhattan. This sweeping survey, originally published over the span 1915 to 1928, is divided into two parts, with volumes one and two comprising the first. These initial volumes present historical summaries, followed by exquisite plates and thorough plate descriptions. Part two repeats this pattern in volume three; presents a detailed chronology of historical events and personages in volumes four and five; and concludes with an addenda, bibliography, and index to the entire work in volume six. Interspersed throughout are the maps, documents, photographs, engravings, illustrations, etc. that Stokes and his assistants assembled from countless original sources. The quality and scope of visual representations truly befits its vast subject, Manhattan. Those concerned with the legal aspects of colonial and New York history will be particularly interested in the wealth of material from original sources to be found throughout these six volumes. The historical chronologies and detailed descriptions are enhanced by the facsimile plates which portray records and documents showing charters, ordinances and proclamations, etc.; handbills, broadsides, surveys, plans, portraits and numerous illustrations relating to the legal history of New York from the "period of discovery" through the Dutch and English settlements and the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, reconstruction, industrialization through to the year 1909: the establishment of the municipal government and the New York legislature; court houses and public buildings; abolitionist clubs, meetings and riots; prisons, criminal punishments and court appeals; bank, insurance and financial institutions; various commissions and associations; bills of exchange and credit; the British and Continental Army; the Continental and U.S. Congress; Indian treaties, international treaties; ferry and water rights; laws, duties and licenses relating to gambling, liquor, and the lottery; as well as taxes, patents, trade and shipping; an extensive section covering original land grants and farms with maps and text of grants citing names of land holders; religious rights such as the first legal case of anti-Semitism; numerous cases regarding slavery and negroes; cases about women, such as the case of a woman who was whipped by order of the court; immigration and alien registration, real estate holdings, crime; legal printers such as William Bradford, John Peter Zenger and James Parker; the establishment of law schools and universities; national political personages such as George Washington, Abigail and John Adams, James Buchanan, Benjamin Franklin, Ulysses S. Grant, James Madison, and Theodore Roosevelt; colonial governors such as Petrus Stuyvesant; legal personages such as James Kent; state and city officials and politicians, political parties, committees and elections. Benedict, Acts and Laws of the Thirteen Original Colonies and States 296.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Martino Publishing (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886363307
• ISBN-13: 978-1886363304
• Product Dimensions: 18.4 x 12.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 34.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,175,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original source material, January 13, 2005

By 

rkchin (new york city) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909: Compiled from Original Sources and Illustrated by Photo-Intaglio Reproductions of Important Maps, Plans, Views, and Documents in Public and Private (Hardcover)

The information contained in these six books is priceless, and absolutely essential for any serious researcher of New York City history. You can read the Amazon.com product description for a taste of what you can find inside. It also includes rare maps, and many other useful information.

What I found especially invaluable is the section entitled "Landmark Map" containing a history of new york city street names, and landmarks complete with citations on where to find the original source material if you wanted to dig further. I have no doubt most books published today regarding NYC street names has probably excerpted most of their information from "Iconography of Manhattan Island!"

If you are in NYC, you can peruse a copy of this book (Arno Press, reprint edition, 1967.) at the New York Public Library Jefferson Market branch. rkchin. check out http://www.tenementcity.com

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The original was better, September 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909: Compiled from Original Sources and Illustrated by Photo-Intaglio Reproductions of Important Maps, Plans, Views, and Documents in Public and Private (Hardcover)

Save your money. If you can find it, pay an extra $... and buy an original copy. The printing and everything else about the original blows away this reprint.

The information is priceless, but you can probably research what you need from a library.

For the serious New York buff only.