The stars are the ratings by Amazon.com readers (1-5 stars). When Amazon stars are not available, I have often provided personal commentary.

American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center
Langewiesche / North Point Press
Author Langewiesche had unrestricted access to Manhattan's Ground Zero during the post-September 11 cleanup. "Slim but powerful . . . truth, unclouded by sentiment." — New York Times Book Review

Common Sense and a Little Fire: Women & Working-Class Politics in the United States 1900-1965
Orleck / University of North Carolina
This book chronicles the lives of four working-class Jewish immigrant women from their common start as survivors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire through their careers as labor leaders. Agreat introduction to assessing American responses to this great tragedy.

Searching for God at Ground Zero: A Memoir
Martin / Sheed and Ward
A glimpse into the world of Ground Zero after the September 11th — a world of horror and, surprisingly, of hope, grace, and spirituality.

Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum
O'Donnell / Broadway Books
A new text about one of New York's greatest but little-known disasters: the Steamboat General Slocum Fire, which in 1904 killed more than 1,000 people. Author O'Donnell creates a fascinating and accessible window into an era, a lost community and the lives of ordinary people.

The Triangle Fire
Stein / ILR-Cornell University
"Stein recreates the tragic events of the fire in all their dramatic intensity. His moving account is a work of dedication" - New York Times

Triangle: The Fire that Changed America
Von Drehle/ Atlantic Monthly
Author Von Drehle has embedded the intense, moving tale of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in a fascinating, meticulously documented account of a crucial period in U.S. history. In addition to using an impressive list of secondary sources, the author has drawn heavily on newspaper articles, author Leon Stine's interviews with survivors, and trial transcripts.

The World Trade Center: A Tribute
Harris & Goldmark / Running Press
History of the WTC in the overall context of New York City history. Over 80 color photographs.

World Trade Center
Skinner / Metro
The building of the World Trade Center. Limited, but quality text and excellent photographs of the World Trade Center at various points in history. Some photographs fold out to poster size.

Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture
Dover
Lavishly illustrated volume providing a wealth of historical data about 74 of Manhattan’s great theatres – both vanished and still extant.

Childe Hassam's New York (The Essential Paintings)
Fort / Pomegranate Artbooks
Voluptuous and often intoxicating paintings of New York by artist Childe Hassam

Art Commission and the Municipal Art Society Guide to Manhattan's Outdoor Sculpture
Gayle & Cohen / Prentice Hall
Difficult to find, but very useful information about many public sculptures in Manhattan.

Lost Broadway Theatres
Hoogstraten / Princeton Architectural Press
Good images and commentary in this coffee-table format book.

The Movie Lovers' Guide to New York: The Ultimate Guide to Movie New York-An Inside Look at over 240 Attractions from Motion Picture Past and Present
Alleman / Perennial
Great material. A one-of-a-kind book.

Monuments and Masterpieces: Histories and Views of Public Sculpture in New York City
Donald Martin Reynolds / Thames and Hudson
Substantial commentary is provided on the history, the creators, and the style of over 80 individual New York sculptures.

Public Sculpture & the Civic Ideal: 1890-1930
Bogart / University of Chicago
Examines the history and the impacts of the “City Beautiful” movement on New York’s public sculpture. Author Bogart is a Board Member of the New York City Art Commission.

New York Observed: Artists & Writers Look at the City
Cohen, Chwast & Helleh / Abrams
Revel in this book of poems, prose, and images of New York City.

The Algonquin Cat
Schaffner / Delacorte Press
The story of Hamlet, the famed cat and caretaker of the Algonquin Hotel. For children and adults.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Johnson / Dover
A nameless protagonist examines race relations in the late 19th Century. The narrator lives in the rugged world of "The Tenderloin," just blocks away from Edith Wharton's panoply of characters. The contrasts are sharp and telling. A relevant study in black/white relations, even today.

The Age of Innocence
Wharton / Gale Group
This moral tale of “society” in late 19th century New York captures the sensibilities and mores of that very insular world. This is often considered to be Wharton’s finest novel. (I often suggest reading this novel in conjunction with James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Edith Wharton’s characters in Age of Innocence reside just blocks away from James Weldon Johnson’s characters. Neither novelist acknowledges the existence of the other world.)

Brown Girl, Brownstones
Paule Marshall / Feminist Press at CUNY
Author Paule Marshall’s first novel describes the coming of age of Selina Boyce, a Caribbean-American girl in New York City in the mid-20th century.

Down These Mean Streets
Thomas / Signet (American Library)
A classic memoir about growing up in Spanish Harlem.

Eloise
Thompson / Simon & Schuster
The well-loved story of Eloise, the precocious and mischievous little girl who lives at New York's Plaza Hotel. Eloise is exceptionally self-confident with a personal mandate of "Getting bored is not allowed." Rediscover your “inner child” with Eloise. For children and adults.

Forgotten News: The Crime of the Century and other Lost Stories
Finney / Fireside (Simon & Schuster)
Jack Finney (“Time and Again”) recounts tales of historic murder scandals, shipwrecks, and other newsworthy topics from 19th century journals, bringing to them a new vitality and a pressing sense of current reality.

Literary Neighborhoods of New York
Leisner /Starrhill Press
A brief and simple volume illuminating various neighborhoods in New York City and their literary histories and associations.

Literary New York
Edmiston & Cirino / Peregrine Smith
Excellent commentary and Walking Tours. This book has never been surpassed in its field.

Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge
Swift / Red Wagon Books
This classic and well-loved children’s book was so emotionally powerful that it generated a movement to preserve the “Little Red Lighthouse” under the immense George Washington Bridge.

New York Observed: Artists & Writers Look at the City
Cohen, Chwast & Helleh / Abrams
Revel in this book of poems, prose, and images of New York City.

Old New York
Wharton / Scribner
Three novellas depicting three decades in New York society. Resounding and elegant tales of Edith Wharton’s social milieu.

Selected Poems of Langston Hughes (Vintage Classics)
Hughes / Vintage
These poems were chosen by Hughes himself shortly before his death in 1967 and encompass work from his entire career. With his background in music, Hughes’ use of varied poetic rhythms consciously captured the life-rhythms of Hughes’ Harlem.

The Streets Where They Lived (Famous New York writers)
Plumb / MarLor Press
A simple volume with brief walks and descriptions of locations associated with noted New Yorkers such as Irving Berlin, John Lennon, Noel Coward, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie “Bird” Parker, and many others.

Time & Again
Finney / Fireside (Simon & Schuster)
This perennial favorite utilizes old prints and historic photographs to propel this fantasy tale of old New York.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Smith / Perennial
A poignant and touching novel of a young girl growing up in the slums of early 20th Century Brooklyn.

Washington Square
James / Modern Library
The classic and resonant tale of a plain New York heiress and the poor, but handsome suitor who may or may not love her only for her wealth. Known to many via the moving picture and Broadway show, “The Heiress.”