The New York Times' Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present [Hardcover]

James Barron (Editor), NY Times (Editor), Anna Quindlen (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2009

This unique volume uncovers the most fascinating and compelling stories from The New York Times about the city the paper calls home.

More than 200 articles and an abundance of photographs, illustrations, maps, and graphs from the preeminent newspaper in the world take a look at the history and personality of the world's most influential city. Read firsthand accounts of the subway opening in 1904 and the day the Metrocard was introduced; the fall of Tammany Hall and recurring corruption in city politics; the Son of Sam murders; jazz clubs in the 1920s and legendary performances at the Fillmore East; baseball's Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier at Brooklyn's storied Ebbets Field in 1947; the 1977 and 2004 blackouts; the openings and closings of the city's most beloved restaurants; and much more. Not just a historical account, this is a fascinating, sometimes funny, and often moving look at how people in New York live, eat, travel, mourn, fight, love, and celebrate.

Organized by theme, the book includes original writings on all topics related to city life, including art, architecture, transportation, politics, neighborhoods, people, sports, business, food, and more. Includes articles from such well-known Times writers as Meyer Berger, Gay Talese, Anna Quindlen, Israel Shenker, Brooks Atkinson, Frank Rich, Ada Louise Huxtable, John Kieran, Russell Baker, and more. Special contributors who have written about New York for the Times include Paul Auster, Woody Allen, and E.B. White, among others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The New York Times is regarded as the world's pre-eminent newspaper.  Its news coverage is known for its exceptional depth and breadth, with reporting bureaus throughout the United States and in 26 foreign countries.  The Times has the largest circulation of any seven-day newspaper in the U.S.  It has been awarded many journalism awards over the years, including a total of 94 Pulitzer Prizes and citations, which is far more than any other newspaper.



James Barron is a reporter on the metropolitan staff of The Times.  He wrote the minute-by-minute stories on the 9/11 attacks for The New York Times on the web and the front page lead story on the 2003 blackout.  He initiated the "Public Lives" column (later called "Boldface Names") and currently writes a podcast for The Times's Web site summarizing the next morning's front page.  Barron wrote the timeline summaries for The New York Times: The Complete Front Pages :1851 - 2008, and is the author of Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 463 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; 1 edition (May 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579128017
• ISBN-13: 978-1579128012
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must, an absolute "Must" for Big Apple Lovers, August 12, 2009

By 

Big D (Auburn, AL. USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The New York Times' Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present (Hardcover)

A "must" for those who love, appreciate, are amused by or are just fascinated with New York, the greatest city in the world, the Big Apple. (In the interest of full disclosure this is coming from an unabashed New York lover, it's excitement, its energy, its everything-ness...)

Stories of New York told as only the New York Times could tell them. Who, after all, knows the city better than the Times? And who is better able to tell the story than the NY Times?

Photos, articles and essays, all kinds of comments and perspecitives, all worthy of the the greatest city in the world.

If you are a New York lover, you will love this book!!

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Shaved Bald, December 1, 2009

By 

Keith Malek (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New York Times' Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present (Hardcover)

The New York Times Book Of New York is a bit too ambitious for its own good. It begins with "A Note To Readers" written by the editor, James Barron. He writes, "Even in a book as thick as this one turned out to be, the available space was limited, and we had to give many of the stories a trim--but not, we believe, a buzz cut."

Unfortunately, readers will walk away feeling as if a buzz cut was exactly what the articles were given. They will be frustrated because they won't understand why it was done that way. Why, instead of including fewer articles(and printing them at their full length) did Barron choose to print so many articles? Barron provides no answer in his "Note To Readers." That is unfortunate, because readers will feel hungry for more after finishing this book, but not in a good way.

Some better alternatives are "New York Stories: The Best of the City Section of The New York Times," which is edited by Constance Rosenblum, or "City Lights: Stories About New York" by Dan Barry.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Find, September 18, 2010

By 

lan13 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New York Times' Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present (Hardcover)

I am so glad I purchased this book. It has such good information and stories...I really enjoyed reading it. A thorough and interesting history of all the things that make the city so fascinating. A perfect gift for someone who has a soft spot for the Big Apple.