Customer Reviews

New York: City of Islands

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I bought the book based on the coverphoto. Regarding that I in fact wanted a book on New York, I cannot say I regret it. The book is fully illustrated with beautiful photographs of New Yorks five boroughs. Though I`ve been to New York five times before I`ve only been to Manhattan and Queens, but I surely was tempted to see all five boroughs when I go back during fall -99. The photographs has a soul in a way and all represent a motion or a mood that I catched right away. I could actually feel the smells the sounds and the dynamic pulse New York stands for. Pete Hamill's text as an introduction to each borough gives the reader a fully good and poetic insight in New Yorks majestic soul.

I bought this book back in 1999. I am a New Yorker and I wanted a book that showcased all of my wonderful city. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I would have to look at this book in order to ever see the World Trade Center again. After the attack on New York City on Sept.11, 2001, my whole world as I knew it changed forever. This wonderful, beautiful book is my only reminder of the New York City that I have known and loved all my life. I know the Twin Towers will rise again! Until then I have my book!

As a New Yorker, I struggled when trying to pick a book to give to my host family in a different country. I wanted a book that didn't just illustrate the beautiful attractions, buildings, and architecture (though I wanted that to be a main part as well)... I wanted one that thoroughly portrayed the wealth and breadth of New York events, life, and culture--from 5th Ave to Little Italy to Times Square to street merchants to the New York marathon. Everything I could have asked for was pictured in this book. It has sprinkled within it shots of daily life, which serve as an excellent and accurate picture of life in each of the five boroughs, and they also have some of Spanish Harlem and other districts like Little Italy, Chinatown, etc. There are shots of all the bridges in a "Structure" section, and they have very beautiful night and day shots of every major tourist attraction, including a night shot of the skyline with the Twin Towers on the fourth of July toward the back of the book. The only thing I think it's lacking (but it's hard to find) is a few more shots showing street performers and the awesome nightlife. However, I don't think this detracts from the book's breadth of topics. Overall, if you want a book that shows everything about New York--this is a great one.

This book is excellent!

The introductory essay brilliantly connects the history of the city, the multiculturalism of the city, the reality of the city in a way that is warm and insightful. It smoothly flows from the actions of yesteryear that have lead to the great metropolis of today, all while maintaining an emphasis on the human side of the story. Its a great literary preparation for the visual feast your eyes will experience as it glances, absorbs, and inspects photos in the latter parts of the book.

The images themselvess are fantastic. The book is divided into six chapters: City of Islands (which is the well written introduction), Passage (random images of the city), Retreat (images of green areas, parks, and gardens), Connection (images of bridges and roadways), Structure (images of facades and interiors of a few important buildings), and Edge (images of places along the outer edge of the city such as Staten Island, Rockaway Beach, and Coney Island among other places). There is a certain human element through out the book. One of the nicest element is that the author places emphasis on showing pieces of all New York boroughs and avoids the Manhattan bias typical of other books about this city.

All in all, the book shows New York City as it is, a great multicultural metropolis worth saving!