The WPA Guide to New York City

This marvelous guide to New York was hailed by the New York Times in 1995 as one of the ten best books ever written about the city. Originally published in 1939 at the time of the World`s Fair, the book was reviewed as useful, broadly informative, and amazing. The New Press is pleased to make the book, which has been out of print for several years, available once again. This tour guide for time travelers offers New York-lovers and thirties buffs an endlessly fascinating look at life as it was lived in the days when a trolley ride cost five cents, a room at the Plaza was $7.50, Dodger fans flocked to Ebbetts Field, and the new World`s Fair was the talk of the town. The New York of 1939 was a city where adventures began under the clock at the Biltmore, and the big liners sailed at midnight. The Yankees were on their way to four in a row, and Times Square was truly the crossroads of the world. In many ways New York is unchanged. The great apartment buildings of the late twenties and early thirties--the Century, the San Remo, the Majestic--and the Manhattan skyscrapers--Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, and the Empire State Building--still speak eloquently of the heroism of urban life. Perhaps the book`s most surprising feature is that it can still be used as a guidebook, revealing layers of the immediate and distant past with unparalleled clarity while providing a constant challenge to the contemporary observer to look for traces of a city that is no more. 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 , 736 pages with 89 black-and-white photographs, 81 prints, and 38 maps Special features include: In-depth coverage of all five boroughs 89 photographs and 81 prints by WPA artists and photographers 38 detailed maps A comprehensive guide to the 1939 New York World`s Fair Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.