Since the number of books about or set in New York is so vast, what follows is necessarily selective - use it as a launchpad for further sleuthing. Publishers are given in the order British/American if they are different for each country; where a book is published only in one country, it is designated UK or US; o/p indicates a book out of print, UP indicates University Press
Essays, poetry and impressions
Phillip Lopate
(ed)
Writing New York
(Library of America, US). A massive literary anthology taking in both fiction and non-fiction writings on the city, and with selections from everyone from washington Irving to Tom Wolfe.
... read more >>
History, politics and society
Herbert Asbury
The Gangs of New York
(Thunder's Mouth Press, US). First published in 1928, this fascinating account of the seamier side of New York is essential reading. Full of historical detail, anecdotes and character sketches of... read more >>
Art, architecture and photography
H. Klotz
(ed)
New York Architecture 1970-1990
(Prestel/Rizzoli). Extremely well-illustrated account of the shift from modernism to postmodernism and beyond.
Jacob Riis
How the Other Half Lives
(Dover/Hill... read more >>
Fiction
Martin Amis
Money
(Penguin/Viking Penguin). Following the wayward movements of degenerate film director John Self between London and New York, a weirdly scatological novel that's a striking evocation of 1980s excess.
James... read more >>
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