The WPA Guide to New York City: The Federal Writers' Project Guide to 1930s New York (American Guide) [Paperback]

Federal Writers Project (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

This tour guide for time travelers offers New York-lovers and thirties buffs an endlessly fascinating look at life as it was lived in the days when a trolley ride cost five cents, a room at the Plaza hotel was $7.50, Dodger fans flocked to Ebbetts Field, and the new World's Fair was the talk of the town. The New York of 1939 was a city where adventures began "under the clock" at the Biltmore, and the big liners sailed at midnight. The Yankees were on their way to four in a row, and Times Square was truly the crossroads of the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This and several similar guides were sanctioned by the Federal Writers Project in the 1930s. Published in 1939, WPA Guide, which was praised by the New York Times as "one of the best books ever published about New York," dissects the wicked city in minute detail with the aid of maps and photos. With the American Library Association meeting in Manhattan next July, this book will help librarians brush up on the Big Apple.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Useful, broadly informative, and amazing. -- The New York Times, 23 July 1939

Product Details

• Paperback: 700 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565843215
• ISBN-13: 978-1565843219
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #859,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The golden age of New York, June 17, 1999

By 

Rob - See all my reviews

This review is from: The WPA Guide to New York City: The Federal Writers' Project Guide to 1930s New York (American Guide) (Paperback)

Anyone interested in New York City will find this book absolutely fascinating. Imagine being transported to the City's golden age -the years during which America was emerging from the Depression---and before being thrust into World War Two. The City is chronicled neighborhood by neighborhood and includes interesting historical background information. With this book you will see New York through the eyes of the past; One of my all time favorites.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story behind the Guides, December 30, 2010

By 

Alfred T. Miles (Heathsville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The WPA Guide to New York City: The Federal Writers' Project Guide to 1930s New York (American Guide) (Paperback)

I haven't read any of the Guides yet, but I just finished reading "Soul of a People: The WPA Writers' Project Uncovers Depression America" by David A. Taylor. I found it to be a fascinating read and I recommend it to anyone interested in the Guides. What I found particularly interesting was that the Project was always under fire for alleged connections with communism. From the chapter on the Guide to New York City is the following: "The red-bating was intensifying. Earlier in the year, Congress had tarred the Project broadly with the brush of communism and managed to get FDR to slash the budgets of the arts projects under the WPA." There are numerous references throughout this book to links with communism, un-American, etc. The stories of the people who actually wrote the guides are all of great interest. I do not mean to imply that anyone was ever proven to be a communist, just that there were frequent allegations. In particular was the opinion of many that anyone working on the Guides was lazy and just living off the government, i.e, socialism. You'll have to read it for yourself. I think you'll be glad you did.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading, June 26, 2007

By 

Robert O. Knecht "Born and raised in NYC" (Sussex NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The WPA Guide to New York City: The Federal Writers' Project Guide to 1930s New York (American Guide) (Paperback)

This well written guide had intersting facts about this - the greatest city in the world. The majority of the buildings described are still standing. The descriptions of the city in 1939 are facinating to read. Well worth reading if you are planning to visit 21st century New York and a must for any New Yorker