Product Description
Believe it or not, New York's past was as wild, exciting, and contentious as its present. It's hard to imagine now that New York City was once a wilderness, but Manhattan takes its name from an Algonquian Indian word meaning "hilly island." Henry Hudson's haul of fine furs convinced the Dutch to establish their colony at the gateway to the New World, and the island was bought from the Native Americans.


Once settled, New York soon became the crucible of commerce in America, and the steely spirit of New Yorkers was forged fast. The narrative of New York has been marked ever since with the spirit of its inhabitants' fierce independence and individuality. ... Read more

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A full generation has passed since a New York Central emblem dashed across the countryside on a railroad car, but few could ever forget "the greatest railroad in the world." The New York Central System grew from an amalgamation of smaller lines stretching from Albany to Buffalo in the 1830s. Twenty years later, the lines were gathered into a single company. Its phenomenal success did not go unnoticed by Cornelius "the Commodore" Vanderbilt. In his late sixties, when most men retire, he methodically started acquiring railroads in the New York City and Hudson River region. He then acquired the New York Central and merged it with his Hudson River Railroad. The Commodore and his son William, the foremost rail barons of their age, forged ahead with one of the most dynamic future-directed endeavors in the world-a railroad empire that traversed 11 states and 2 Canadian provinces. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Gone but not forgotten
I've been waiting for this addition to the Images of Rail series for some time, and I was not disappointed with the book. Of course, this book is out some 40 years after the Central ceased to exist and the core audience is notthe hard-core NYC fan. That being noted, I enjoyed the story Mr. Leavy told, and I was very impressed with the photo selection. There are some great station interior shots, a lot of NYC employee images, and of course, plenty of streamlined steamers (I think he could have dropped a few of those in favor of a few other locomotive types). All things considered, he satisfied me as a New York Central fan, and distilled the railroad's heritage to a reader-friendly format for a new generation of historians or hobbyists. ... Read more

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Product Description
Are you ready for the real story of the New York Giants? As one of the NFL's greatest franchises, the Giants have a long history of legends and goats, great comebacks and colossal failures, NFL championships and heartbreaking losses. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: New York Giants is a must for every fan who wants an unflinching look at the greatest--and worst--players, coaches, and moments in Giants history! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Bad and the Ugly
The writing ability of the author is high school level. The book also looks like it was printed on a mimeograph if anyone remembers them. Low quality - don't buy.

Best Giants Book Ever
This is a funny warts-and-all history of the Giants from the old days of the Polo Grounds right up to the struggles of Eli. The chapter about Lawrence Taylor and Joe Theissmann alone makes the book worth the cover price. Great for fans of Big Blue and the NFL alike. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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Studies the cultural, economic, political, and social forces influencing life in New York City. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A disappointment,particularly with so much to work with.

I have several of these large heavy photo books,and since I spent 5 years working in New York,I was very excited when I got this book.However,my excitement and enthusiasm continued to decline the more I worked my way through the book.
My first disappointment was with the text,which I felt was totally lacking in any exciting descriptions or facts.Individually,the photos are technically very good,but I didn't find that they were stunning or particularly enchanting.As a matter of fact,many of them ,though they contained massive spreads of buildings,were more overbearing rather than eye-catching.With most photos,the comments were so brief,that it was hardly worth reading them,as they did not add to enhancing the photo.Whether or not my impression that these photos were taken by only a few flights over the city;with the camera simply left running,then frames were selected from the "cutting room",is so or not;that was the impression I got.
There is so much to work with in a city with the history,culture and excitment that is everywhere in New York;this book falls far short of capturing it.I worked in Lower Manhatten,and the window of my office looked down on City Hall Park.I expected to find a reminder of that in this book.When I didn't come across anthing like it,I checked the Index.It was listed on page 217.Returning to that page,all I found was text;no photo whatsoever.I found most pictures simply had so much in them,that they didn't concentrate on anything in particular,and hence wern't very interesting.About the only thing that I'll remember from this book is that it had some very good shots of the top of the Chrysler Building,but those of the Statue of Liberty were lackluster.
I flew over New York many times and this book was more of a reminder of that,and trying to pick out landmarks.There is so much that could have been covered ,but wasn't.Just to mention Harlem or Coney Island,for example. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book Michael A. Gordon examines the causes and consequences of the tragic and bloody "Orange Riots" that rocked New York City in 1870 and 1871. On July 12 of both years, groups of Irish Catholics clashed with Irish Protestants marching to commemorate the victory of 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne that confirmed the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. The violence of 1870 left eight people dead: the following year, more than sixty died.

Reconstructing the events of July 12 in those years, Gordon provides a riveting and richly detailed account of the riots. He maintains that they stemmed from more than religious hatred or generations of oppression in Ireland. Rather, both years bear witness to a struggle between two profoundly different visions of the promise of America: a re-creation of European social classes or a form of life liberated from the constraints and stratifications of the Old World. These visions were enmeshed n the turbulent ideological and political confrontations arising from industrialization and newly found immigrant power under New York City's notorious mayor, William Marcy "Boss" Tweed.Gordon concludes by showing how the riots sparked a reform movement that toppled Tweed from power and led to the restructuring of city politics in the 1870s. ... Read more

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Describes how the Adirondack Park of New York State was created in 1892 to preserve over a million acres of land and keep it "forever wild." ... Read more

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-How does divorce work-emotionally, practically, legally?
-How can you make it as painless as possible for you, your children, and even your spouse?
-How can you avoid a trial-and why should you?
-How do you select a lawyer or mediator?
-When is litigation the only answer?
-How do you divide your property-including intangibles?
-What are your rights if you were never legally married?
-How can you best protect the children-now and in the future?
-How do you pick up the pieces and get on with your life?

Whether you are contemplating divorce or have already begun the process, this book's step-by-step approach will go far in putting control of the divorce in your hands.
... Read more

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Leading housing scholars and practitioners provide a comprehensive, up-to-date description and analysis of housing and community development policy as they examine one of America's largest and most important cities. Housing and Community Development in New York City comprehensively explores a full range of policy issues including the analysis of current housing problems and demographics; examination of federally supported housing assistance programs such as public housing and Section 8; scrutiny of the City's response to homelessness and the abandonment of private sector housing; and a look at New York's innovative program to rebuild neighborhoods with public-private partnerships. ... Read more

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"The key to surviving in the city is to discover nature," says author and veteran mountain biker Michael Margulis.Upstate New York lures riders compelled to escape the pressures of urban life, the stress of commuting to work, and the strain s of working long hours.A myriad of trails awaits mountain bikers in New York.The last two hundred years have left a network of logging, mining, carriage, and old forest routes.Enjoy the state's wealth of wild lands and the soulful high of silently gliding on pristine trails from Long Island, Harriman State Park, and the Westchester area to the Shawangunk, Catskill, and Adirondack mountains.Also included are several classic rides in northern New Jersey. Mountain bikers of all abilities will enjoy the assortment of rides-varying in length and difficulty and appealing to a variety of moods, skills, and fitness levels.Detailed route descriptions, maps, and listings of mountain bike shops in each area will guide you to the best trails around. Mountain Biking New York provides easy-to-use information to help make mountain biking adventures memorable and safe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Innaccurate and haughty style
Who is this guy Margulis? He ought to be writing self-defense books! This is a "low-conscience" offering that disregards the ecosystem, uses other undocumented sources, and is pretty hard to use in the field. I can't recommentd anything about it.

Part of the problem
This book is part of the problem, not part of the solution for increased access to mountain bikers. It ignores park management rules and regs (tons of illegal trails were listed in the first edition), and it totally peaved the local mountain biking community organizations (GORP, the Gunks OFF ROAD PATROL, and HUMbVA..the hudson Valley Mountain Biking Association)for harming some of the advocacy work they'd already done in the valley. Irresponsibly authored and represented. Needs major work.

How did this even get published?
Ok, if you live in NYC and always go to Lake Placid on holiday then this is the guide for you. If you want a guide to NY state then forget it- it really does only cover the south east and the north east, about 25% of the state.

Since central NY is so chock full of trails it has not occured to me to get a guide, I just get on my bike and explore. I was given this book for christmas and looked with interest to see if there were any trails within a couple of hours drive that I might try for a weekend change of scene. This book contains nothing of interest to those who live outside NYC.

Excellent resource for NY mountain bikers
This book provides detailed maps and explores the "ins" and"outs" of mountain bike trails of New York.It helps locate thetrails and aids in having an enjoyable outing by telling you where to go. I recommend this book for all mountain bikers regionally.

Comprehensive & informational
I purchased the book and was pleasantly suprised to see that this mountain bike book contains more rides within & around New York State than I have seen in bookstores.The book extensively covers each of the 79 rides with descriptions containing historical & environmental info.Perhaps the author studied the natural sciences at school.It shows.The photos are a good depiction of the rides.I have a family, but I also do some serious single-track and this book seems to cover it all.I recommend it to others. ... Read more

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A history of the baseball team which assembled in New York in 1962, a young team, yet one that has seen some dramatic play. ... Read more