Drawing on a rich trove of diaries, legal records, and other unpublished documents, George Chauncey constructs a fascinating portrait of a vibrant, cohesive gay world that is not supposed to have existed. Called "monumental" (Washington Post), "unassailable" (Boston Globe), "brilliant" (The Nation), and "a first-rate book of history" (The New York Times), Gay New Yorkforever changed how we think about the history of gay life in New York City, and beyond.

     As a child during the Depression and World War II, Pete Hamill learned early that drinking was an essential part of being a man, inseparable from the rituals of celebration, mourning, friendship, romance, and religion. Only later did he discover its ability to destroy any writer's most valuable tools: clarity, consciousness, memory. In A Drinking Life, Hamill explains how alcohol slowly became a part of his life, and how he ultimately left it behind. Along the way, he summons the mood of an America that is gone forever, with the bittersweet fondness of a lifelong New Yorker. "Magnificent. A Drinking Life is about growing up and growing old, working and trying to work, within the culture of drink." --Boston Globe

    This magnificent volume features a wealth of fiction and nonfiction works by 45 writers from that exuberant era.

    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.

    This biography looks at his life, from his work as concert pianist and the premier interpreter of Gershwin's concert works, to his presence as an insulting wit, raconteur and best-selling author.

    This is the story of Bill Kunstler's odyssey, the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual journey of a middle-class liberal attorney who became a radical lawyer only after he had passed the age of forty as a result of his exposure to the upheavals of the 1960s.

    Carr has emerged as the cultural historian of the New York underground and the foremost critic of performance art. On Edge brings together her writings to offer a detailed and insightful history of this vibrant brand of theatre from the late 70s to today. It represents both Carr's analysis as a critic and her testament as a witness to performances which, by their very nature, can never be repeated. Carr has organized this collection both chronologically and thematically, ranging from the emphasis on bodily manipulation/endurance in the 70s to the underground club scene in New York to an insider's analysis of the Tompkins Square Riot as a manifestation of the cultural and social conflicts that underlie much of performance art. She examines the transgressive and taboo-shattering work of Ethyl Eichelberger, Karen Finley, and Holly Hughes; documents specific performances by Annie Sprinkle and Lydia Lunch; and maps the development of such artists as Robbie McCauley, Blue Man Group, and John Jesurun. She also describes the "cross-over" phenomenon of the mid-80s and considers the far-right backlash against this mainstreaming as cultural reactionaries sought to curb the influence of these new artists. CONTRIBUTORS: Linda Montano, Chris Burden, G.G Allin, Jean Baudrillard, Patty Hearts, Dan Quayle, Anne Magnouson, John Jesurun, John Kelly, Shu Lea Changvv, Diamanda Galas, Salley May, Rafael Mantanez Ortiz, Sherman Fleming, Kristine Stiles, Laurie Carlos, Jessica Hafedorn, Robbie McCormick, Karen Finley, Poopo Shiraishi, Donna Henes, Holey Hughe, Ela Troyano, Michael Smith, Harry Koipper, John Sex, Nina Jagen, EthylEichelberge, Marina Abramovic, Ulay.

    More than a century before, in 1883, the Sairy Gamp had been paddled and portaged through the Adirondacks by a sixty-one-year-old writer named George Washington Sears (his pen name was Nessmuk). The more Jerome learned about Sears, the more she wanted to follow his route, despite her lack of canoeing or camping experience. In August 1990 she embarked in a nine-foot canoe made of Kevlar and, with her husband, John, accompanying her in a slightly larger boat, set off to retrace Sears's journey. An Adirondack Passage is part social history, part natural history, part biography of Sears, and part chronicle of a voyage. Summer turns to fall while the Jeromes make their way north, through sunshine and storms, down cottage-lined lakes and lonely, wild streams. Gusting winds bully their lightweight canoes and by mid-September the days are colder and shorter, but the longer they paddle, the more attached they become to the beauty around them. Canada geese fly overhead, monarch butterflies flutter southward, and on the larger lakes, young loons gather for their first migration to the sea. Along the way the author pauses to tell us what Sears saw when he passed by and what happened to his favorite haunts in the ensuing century. As the history of the region unfolds we meet hermits and millionaires, hunting guides and society women, hotelkeepers and dime-novel writers, and one lost dancing bear. Christine Jerome has given us a memorable wilderness experience that readers who have never even lifted a canoe paddle will find invigorating.

    The Empire State Building is the companion volume to the Museum of the City of New York's definitive exhibition: "A Dream Well Planned: The Empire State Building."

    Here at last is just that book, a treasury of Louis Auchincloss's finest stories and novellas, selected by the author.

    It's factually and chronologically accurate and includes as many names, ideas, and events as possible without slowing down the pace. But, mainly, the book captures some of the spirit, excitement, perils, and follies of the Revolutionary Era.