Best of
New-York

1978

Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan


Rem Koolhaas - 1978
    Back in print in a newly designed edition, this influential cultural, architectural, and social history of New York is even more popular, selling out its first printing on publication. Rem Koolhaas's celebration and analysis of New York depicts the city as a metaphor for the incredible variety of human behavior. At the end of the nineteenth century, population, information, and technology explosions made Manhattan a laboratory for the invention and testing of a metropolitan lifestyle -- "the culture of congestion" -- and its architecture. "Manhattan," he writes, "is the 20th century's Rosetta Stone . . . occupied by architectural mutations (Central Park, the Skyscraper), utopian fragments (Rockefeller Center, the U.N. Building), and irrational phenomena (Radio City Music Hall)." Koolhaas interprets and reinterprets the dynamic relationship between architecture and culture in a number of telling episodes of New York's history, including the imposition of the Manhattan grid, the creation of Coney Island, and the development of the skyscraper. Delirious New York is also packed with intriguing and fun facts and illustrated with witty watercolors and quirky archival drawings, photographs, postcards, and maps. The spirit of this visionary investigation of Manhattan equals the energy of the city itself.

Dancer from the Dance


Andrew Holleran - 1978
    It depicts the adventures of Malone, a beautiful young man searching for love amid New York's emerging gay scene. From Manhattan's Everard Baths and after-hours discos to Fire Island's deserted parks and lavish orgies, Malone looks high and low for meaningful companionship. The person he finds is Sutherland, a campy quintessential queen -- and one of the most memorable literary creations of contemporary fiction. Hilarious, witty, and ultimately heartbreaking, Dancer from the Dance is truthful, provocative, outrageous fiction told in a voice as close to laughter as to tears.

Leah's Journey


Gloria Goldreich - 1978
    It brought her marriage to a man who yearned for her sweet, denied love - and passion for a man who yearned only for danger. It gave her a son born of shame, and a daughter born to destiny. It tested her love in the shadow of the Depression and the hell of the Nazi fury...And then Leah's journey brought her home.

AIA Guide to New York City: The Classic Guide to New York's Architecture


Norval White - 1978
    The latest edition of this urban classic takes a fresh look at the architectural treasures that define New York -- from its most characteristic landmarks to its less famous local favorites.To prepare this edition -- the first revision since 1987 -- Norval White has visited and revisited more than 5,000 buildings, making this by far the most complete guide of its kind. This generously illustrated handbook presents the structures of the New York City--from the magnificent to the obscure -- in over 3,000 new photographs, more than 130 new maps, and hundreds of revised and new entries. Beyond the skyscrapers and historical buildings, the guide also leads the way to the city's bridges, parks, and public monuments.From the tip of the Empire State Building to the brownstones in Brooklyn, the AIA Guide to New York City reveals how the city's spirit, fortitude, and character are captured and expressed in its architecture. Thoughtful and humorous descriptions include fascinating bits of local information that bring the city's history to life, telling the stories behind the bricks and mortar. Together, the maps, photographs, and expert critiques invite you on a special grand tour of the city at your own pace.This guide is a definitive record of New York's architectural heritage and provides a compact, authoritative directory for lovers of New York City all over the world. Its portability and encyclopedic quality make it an ideal traveling companion for any walker in the city. For the sightseer, the architect, or anyone on a casual stroll, the AIA Guide to New York City is the book to grab on your way out the door.

New York in the Forties


Andreas Feininger - 1978
    In this volume Andreas Feininger captures New York in her "glorious" years. You'll see New York as the leader in commerce, industry and shipping, the place where America's most skilled and talented came to succeed.Included is almost every aspect of city life from the eerie shots of New York during the "dimout" to the bright lights of 42nd Street. You'll see buildings that look much the same and sights that have vastly changed. The Flatiron Building, Rockefeller Center, the Singer Building, tattoo parlors, clean city streets, 42nd Street with no pornographic movies. You'll see the Normandie in her heyday, the Queen Mary, and New York as one of the greatest port towns with 771 miles of bustling waterfront activity. You'll see Harlem nightclub at 135th Street, the Louis-Walcott fight at Madison Square Garden, the glittering audience at the old Met; Fifth Avenue during the blizzard of '47; horse-drawn vehicles, the els, the last decade of the street car; the Lower East Side poultry markets and frenzied activity at the Fulton Fish Market; Bowery flophouses; the skyscraper race; incredible views made of the stair-step constructions of skyscrapers; the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Coney Island, Yorkville, and more.One hundred and sixty two photographs show a multitude of facets of New York in the 1940s, the decade during which the city flourished and grew with incredible activity. The interesting, factual captions by John von Hartz convey a clear picture of what living in New York was like, giving us a background and explaining the problems, excitement, and changes people faced.Andreas Feininger brings to this volume an enormous reputation in the field of photography. A former staff photographer of Life magazine, author of several photography texts, and compiler of volumes of his own photographs, Mr. Feininger has personally supervised the publication of this collection of his famous photographs of New York City. While some of these photos have been seen in other books, never before have so many of them been made available in one volume.

Old Brooklyn in Early Photographs, 1865-1929


William Lee Younger - 1978
    Over one hundred and fifty five photographs, many never before reprinted, show the vitality and variety of old Brooklyn, Manhattan's first suburb: waterfront, Brooklyn Bridge, Fulton Street, Brooklyn Heights, Ebbets Field, Luna Park, Gravesend Race Track, Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach Hotel, and more from the Long Island Historical Society collection.

History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names, Borough of the Bronx, New York City


John McNamara - 1978
    He began to ask the people in the area questions and researched maps and books. Later, he traveled by bicycle, kayak and auto to collect more and more information. Eventually, he visited every street in The Bronx at least once. When he grew up, John met others who had similar interests in history and they formed The Bronx County Historical Society, all the while adding to his collection of street name histories. Many years went by until the new executive director of the Bronx County Historical Society persuaded him to compile his extensive collection of notes as a book. Eventually History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street & Place Names was published. People all around the country bought it, and it has since been revised and reprinted 3 times. In 1985, The City of New York bestowed a great honor to the penultimate Bronx historian and named John McNamara Square at Calhoun and Randall Avenues. The circle of history marches on.

New York Jew


Alfred Kazin - 1978
    His autobiography encompasses a personal story openly told; an inside look at New York's innermost intellectual circles; strong and intimate revelations of many of the most important writers of the century; and brilliantly astute observations of the literary accomplishments, atmosphere, and fads of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s in the context of America's shifting political gales.

Under the Rainbow: Growing Up Gay


Arnie Kantrowitz - 1978
    In an immensely moving account, Karnowitz writes of growing up gay before Stonewall, trying to come to grips with his sexuality at a time when it was generally perceived as an illness; his discovery of the early gay rights movement; and becoming a nationally recognized activist for gay rights.

Metropolitan Life


Fran Lebowitz - 1978
    A witty, sometimes curmudgeonly, often helpful look at various fads, crazes, morals, fashions, and mores in America today ranges from comments on good weather to a pontifical guide for the truly ambitious.