Synopses & Reviews
The year 2009 is a landmark in the history of New York, and America. Its the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudsons arrival along the river that bears his name. With public initiatives and media attention on commemorative events and exhibits at a fever pitch throughout the year, the stage is set for
New York 400, a one-of-a-kind celebration of the greatest city in America.
With unprecedented access to the Museum of the City of New Yorks vast archive, this is a visual history of the city of New York like none other, focusing not merely on landmarks but also on everyday life in the city over the past four centuries. The people, arts, culture, politics, and drama unfold through hundreds of rarely seen photographs and a fascinating profile of the city that never sleeps. Featuring essays from leading historians of the distinct epochs of Gotham, this volume takes us from the days of Director-General Petrus Stuyvesant in the seventeenth century through to mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg in the modern melting pot that is New York in the twenty-first century.
The Museum of the City of New York has a unique mandateto explore the past, present, and future of New York, and to celebrate the citys heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation. Its unparalleled collections, including photography, sculpture, costumes, toys, and decorative arts, enable the museum to present a variety of exhibitions, public programs, and publications investigating what gives New York its singular character.
Review
Anniston Star, October 16, 2009 “New York 400 is an invaluable authentication of the commitment of The Museum of the City of New York "to connect the past, present, and future of this great city and to explore its heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation." That's what's evident on every page of this beautiful book that is, at once, a reflection on the past of one of the world's great cities and an anticipation of its next 400 years.”
New York Times Book Review, November 2009
"…a hefty and handsome coffee-table book…For lovers of New York City as well as amateur archaeologists, this book provides a matchless trove that tells us how New York grew into the city it now is…"
About the Author
Prominent New York author John Thorn (Total Baseball, the Armchair series) is the books editor, and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Mike Wallace served as historical advisor. Among the essays are new contributions from sixteen highly respected historians, including Jaap Jacobs, Edwin Burrows, and Phillip Lopate.