A Short and Remarkable History of New York City
NOW in its fifth Printing which includes the events of September 11, 2001.
Selected by the American Association of University Presses as one of "The Best of the Best from the University Presses." (2000)
New Yorkers love to watch the building of a new skyscraper—particularly the digging of a foundation—through small holes cut into a wooden construction fence. It's one of the great lunch-hour pastimes. Over the years the ubiquitous observer has watched the City grown and change—sometimes with disapproval, sometimes with elation, always with a fond curiosity.
This short book, with its events and anecdotes, is a peephole for spying on the history of the City from its foundations up to the present. New York was always destined to be a place of migrants and immigrants. People have come to this mercantile center to work, to build, to learn, to play, and to settle down in a neighborhood. Its people give the City the energy that makes living here a heightened experience.
A Short and Remarkable History of New York City is a timeline of five hundred years of New York City history. It can be read as a story, used for reference, or browsed through for fun.
Finally, a short history of New York City, using the broad strokes of a simple chronology interspersed with social and cultural information. Fun!---Ric Burns, director of NEW YORK: A Documentary Film
Interesting fact-nuggets, beaded with lively commentaries and images, make for a handy, instructive, and entertaining time line of New York's history.---Mike Wallace, co-author of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize
This deft and deligtful sprint through New York City's history is filled with key facts, remarkable curiosities, strong viewpoints and fabulous illustrations. The result is an irresistible compendium for Gotham mavens and newcomers alike.---Phillip Lopate, editor of Writing New York: A Literary Anthology (Library of America)
This year-by-year chronicle offers the reader a mix of delightful vignettes, fascinating information, and engaging illustrations. This is a feast for any New York history buff."---Morris, Dickstein, Director, Center for the Humanities, CUNY Graduate School
This book is a marvel and a municipal treasure.---Rickie Solinger, winner of the Organization of American Historians Lerner-Scott Prize
“A smart and stylish highlight history of the world’s greatest city.”---John Jakes, author of the North and South Trilogy and American Dreams
A mind-opening chronicle of a city's history—exciting and imaginative.---Gitta Sereny, historian and biographer
. . . brilliant and delightful. With unfailing deftness, Mushabac and Wigan's vignettes and classic illustrations give their lucky readers a concise, reliable, and comprehensive introduction to every aspect of the great city's history.---David C. Hammack, Haydn Professor of History, Case Western Reserve University, author of Power and Society: Greater New York at the Turn of the Century
Excellent.---U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler
Great urban reading.---Where New York
Jane Mushabac has written a book on Herman Melville. Her work has appeared in the Village Voice and other periodicals, and she has been a Harvard University fellow. She is a professor at New York City College of Technology, CUNY.
Angela Wigan (Author)
Angela Wigan has written book reviews for Time magazine and other publications. She is a graduate of Columbia University's Oral History Program.