View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.
Winner, The New York Public Library, Best of Reference Award,
2002
"Here is a fascinating chronological history of New York City
from 1524-2001, looking at the people, building, instiutions,
political events, music and businesses that helped shape the
city."
--"Booklist"
"The entries are well written and cover a broad range of topics,
including political, social, and cultural, and the reader often
cannot help but utter, 'I didn't know that.'"
--"ARBA online"
"[Kroessler] does a fine job of chronicling the city's past,
incorporating both little-known, flash-in-the-pan nuggest as well
as far-reaching, recurring themes."
--"Queens Chronicle"
If any city deserves a complete chronology, it is surely New
York. New York, Year by Year is a cornucopia of the familiar and
the forgotten, the historic and the ephemeral, the heroic and the
banal. In this handy reference work, Jeffrey A. Kroessler takes us
from Verrazano's arrival in 1524 into the new millennium,
highlighting the strikes and strikeouts, tunnels and towers,
personalities and parades which not only made history in New York,
but also proved to be defining moments for the nation.
New York, Year by Year features events such as Mark Twain's
first lecture at Cooper Union, and the letter he later wrote when
the Brooklyn Public Library tried to restrict access to
"Huckleberry Finn," In contrast, we are reminded of the publication
in the 1950s of "Eloise, A Book for Precocious Grown-Ups," Kay
Thompson's fanciful tale of a little girl's adventures in the Plaza
Hotel, the appearance of the Beat Generation, and the flight
(literally) of the Dodgers and Giants toCalifornia. New York, Year
by Year chronicles the opening of Shea Stadium in April 1964 and
the performance by the Beatles there that August. The Sixties also
saw the opening of "The Fantastiks," which is still running on
Sullivan Street, and the closing of Steeplechase, the last of the
great amusement parks at Coney Island. And this chronology makes
sure we don't forget when Kitty Genovese was murdered in Kew
Gardens and her cries for help were left unanswered because her
neighbors "didn't want to get involved." Kroessler leads us on a
tour of the city from its first settlers until the November 2001
election of a new mayor for the new millennium.
From the colonial era and the Revolution through the Gilded Age
and the Roaring Twenties, Kroessler has compiled a record of
cultural, economic, political, and social events. Some are of
transient importance, others of lasting significance, but all
illuminate the city's fascinating history.
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