The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City's History

User Review: - A researcher's short cut
The Historical Atlas of New York City solved a huge problem for me. I'm writing a novel set partly in New York in 1864, and while I lived in the City in 1964, that's a hundred years too late for this novel! I live now where research facilities are slim, and I needed something to show me where people lived, shopped, worked, entertained themselves.

This book answered my questions. It showed me which landmark buildings were on which streets then and gave me the background for the characters who inhabit my novel and the City. It has prevented me from having a character walk past the Flatiron building, or attend a ball at the Waldorf-Astoria.

It also confirmed that elderly gentlemen probably played chess in Tompkins Square Park just as they did a hundred years later, and that the brownstones around Washington Square were inhabited by wealthy families.

It has enabled me to put some of my own reminiscences (faithfully recorded in my journals of the time) into the book while avoiding some anomalies.

Not all my questions were resolved in this book, but studying the maps gave me enough information about the trains in New York to avoid some errors, like describing Grand Central Station, because it gives the date that amazing edifice was built.

A valuable addition to my own research library!

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User Review: - Wonderful
This is simply one of the best NYC historical reference work available. The book is divided into periods and will display numerous maps , photos and drawings of the buildings and landscape of the city at that time in history. Plenty of history is included to make certain you are keyed in to the era, and how the buildings fit in. Just a beautiful book. Great binding and very sturdy.
Strong buy

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User Review: - Almost Great
This book includes many really nice maps of early New York. Much of the historical information included in the maps is uniquely presented here and lacking in many other publications. However, there are many editorial mistakes and misspellings that I have observed, which makes me wonder about the accuracy of the rest of the information. Additionally, the narrative text is simple, limited and sometimes disjointed and difficult to follow. Buy this book simply for its beautiful graphics and depictions of the city as it used to be. Some periods of the city's history could be greatly expanded, especially the city's role in the revolution and the siege of Fort Washington. Anyone with knowledge of the city will find it of limited value beyond the maps and illustrations. A little polishing of this book and some additional material for some historical periods in a future edition would make this book an outstanding work. For now, I would call it good but lacking in important areas.