The Historical Atlas of New York City, Third Edition: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City's History Jun 28, 2016 by Eric Homberger Paperback (St. Martin's Griffin);

The rich and eminently browsable visual guide to the history of New York, in an all-new third edition

"Atlas" is almost a misnomer for this encyclopedic overview of the history of New York City. Homberger (American studies, Univ. of East Anglia; Scenes from the Life of a City: Corruption and Conscience in Old New York, LJ 9/1/94) details the growth and development of the Big Apple from earliest times, with attention to geological formation, pre-Colonial settlement, and transformation to first city of the young republic. Detailed color maps abound, accompanied by a running commentary of major historical and cultural eras. Many of the most detailed maps are rendered schematically for easier reading. Each period treated features historical photos and illustrations along with accompanying map(s). Some of the best-known aspects of the city, e.g., the UN, Rockefeller Center, receive individual treatment, as do neighborhoods such as Harlem, Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side, and Chinatown. Two fascinating illustrations are stylized diagrams of Broadway, the longest street in the city, and Fifth Avenue, arguably the city's main street. A detailed, illustrated chronology of important events in the city's history concludes the volume. A visual delight; highly recommended for all libraries.

The Historical Atlas of New York City, second edition, takes us, neighborhood by neighborhood, through four hundred years of Gotham's rich past, describing such crucial events as the city's initial settlement of 270 people in thirty log houses; John Jacob Astor's meteoric rise from humble fur trader to the richest, most powerful man in the city; and the fascinating ethnic mixture that is modern Queens. 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.