The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City's History » (Revised and Updated Edition)

Eric Homberger is the author of Mrs. Astor's New York and Scenes from the Life of a City. An American by birth, he is a professor of American studies at the University of East Anglia.

A New York Public Library Outstanding Reference Book

The rich and eminently browsable visual guide to the history of New York, in an all-new

second edition

The Historical Atlas of New York City, second edition, takes us, neighborhood by neighborhood, through four hundred years of Gotham's rich past, describing such crucial events as the city's initial settlement of 270 people in thirty log houses; John Jacob Astor's meteoric rise from humble fur trader to the richest, most powerful man in the city; and the fascinating ethnic mixture that is modern Queens. The full-color maps, charts, photographs, drawings, and mini-essays of this encyclopedic volume also trace the historical development and cultural relevance of such iconic New York thoroughfares as Fifth Avenue, Wall Street, Park Avenue, and Broadway. This thoroughly updated edition brings the Atlas up to the present, including three all-new two-page spreads on Rudolph Giuliani's New York, the revival of Forty-second Street, and the rebuilding of Ground Zero.

A fascinating chronicle of the life of a metropolis, the handsome second edition of The Historical Atlas of New York City provides a vivid and unique perspective on the nation's cultural capital.

Library Journal

Homberger (American studies, Univ. of East Anglia; Mrs. Astor's New York), the author of several period histories of New York City, has revised and updated the original 1994 edition of this unique resource. Manhattan receives the most attention and is explored through its entire history, from the arrival of the Dutch to post-9/11 and even down to specific areas that include Hester Street, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and "Historic Broadway." But the outer boroughs are not forgotten: The consolidation of Brooklyn and Queens is covered in one section and the Bronx and Staten Island in another. The nearly 90 full-color maps, some contemporary, are accompanied by a richly illustrated and informative text. Topics include demographics, mass transit, and the arts. New chapters feature the impact of former mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the Times Square and 42nd Street "clean-up," and the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. The original 1609-1994 chronology time lines have been extended to include 1995-2004. The bibliographic section is divided into 19th-century and 20th-century authors, historical novels set in the city, and recent books about the city. Bottom Line As a reference resource, this publication could be enhanced by replacing the tribute to one mayor with a chronology of all mayors along with dates served and identifiable thumbnail portraits. Still, this fascinating book will appeal to general and informed lay readers and is recommended for all reference collections as an essential update to the last edition and a standalone historical overview of the Big Apple.-Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.