The Empire State: A History of New York

by Milton M. Klein (Editor)

New York now has a new, comprehensive history book that chronicles the state through centuries of change. A richly illustrated volume, The Empire State begins in the early seventeenth century (when the region was still populated solely by Native Americans) and concludes in the mid-1990s, by which time people from all over the world had made the state their home. Throughout the book, politics, economics, culture, and social history all are emphasized, as are the important contributions made by ethnic groups and women.

The Empire State serves as a successor to A History of New York State, for many years the standard one-volume account of the region but today outdated and long out of print. Now students, scholars, and history enthusiasts will find thorough and fascinating coverage in The Empire State. The authors―distinguished authorities on New York State―draw on current research and perspectives as they address such topics as
* the Dutch colonization of the region,
* the English province,
* the Revolution,
* antebellum society,
* the abolition of slavery and the Civil War,
* the New York City media,
* New York's vibrant political culture,
* labor and leisure
* women's suffrage
* immigration and migration,
* the World Wars, and
* the state's economic development.

Readers from the Big Apple to Buffalo and beyond will find The Empire State, which provides equal coverage to "upstate" and "downstate" events and people, satisfying and informative reading.

Genres: New York, History, Nonfiction

858 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

A specialist in the colonial history of New York and early American legal history, Milton M. Klein was University Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. A graduate of the City College of New York, he earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1954 and taught at both Columbia University and Long Island University before joining the faculty at the University of Tennessee in 1969.

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Project Read-a-History-of-Every-State-in-Order-of-Statehood #11

"Bloated" and "dense" are not necessarily negative attributes for a state of such rich complexity and global reach as NY, but with this 700+ page plus colossus, they are often the only descriptors. In fact, this massive book could easily be slimmed down considerably without the reader losing out on much. This is especially true for a lot of the colonial bits which tend to blur together. The Indian and Dutch get a nice treatment, but the earlier chapters get bogged down in historical minutiae that I can't even remember to describe to you. Much of the rest of the work is equally dense and detail driven. Your eyes will glaze over as you hurtle through the atomic doings of various state officials well into the 20th century. There are some nice bits: the Erie Canal, NY and abolition, the parts of the state that aren't NYC get some good attention throughout, decent bits on NY culture, and so on.
An array of scholars contributed, doled out chronological sections, though you won't really notice the difference in styles until you get to post-World War 2, easily the best and most readable part.
Verdict: not bad, but literally exhaustive and exhausting.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful history book! It's filled with facts, tidbits of information, and stories!!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed. A little dry at times, but interesting none the less.

[Korry Thorpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written and informative book, although at over 700 pages reading it is a significant undertaking.