Mirror For Gotham
New York as Seen by Contemporaries from Dutch Days to the Present
Fordham University Press
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A collection of some 600 excerpts from contemporary essays and letters, plus numerous b&w photos and reproductions, capturing a panoramic picture of the city from Dutch days to the 1950s. Pieces by authors such as James Fenimore Cooper, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain are organized chronologically, covering eras such as the early national period, the emergence of the modern city (1870-1900), and the golden generation (1900-1930). A new introduction by James F. Richardson brings the account up to date.
“We may say that we have here, not just another of the many books about New York, but one which does our historian credit and adds for most of us a new dimension to our knowledge of our city. ”——The New York Times Book Review
The late Bayrd Still was Professor of History and Head of the History Department at New York University, and was recognized as an authority on the history of American cities.