New York City: A Short History

by George Lankevich

An exploration into what America was, is, and can become through the lens of the rapidly changing American metropolis

From its origins as a primitive Dutch outpost to the sprawling urban complex it is today, the defining characteristic of New York has been constant, dramatic, and rapid change.

Formerly published as An American Metropolis , this new edition features a new preface in which Lankevich discusses the impact of the events of September 11 on the city, as well as an updated final chapter on the Giuliani administration. By understanding the history of New York, we obtain a vital sense of what America was, is, and can become.

Genres: History, New York, Nonfiction, Americana, American

276 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a short history. Minus back matter (index, bibliography, mayor lists, and a population table) and two prefaces it is 257 pages long. That makes it handy, generally concise, and given to a formulaic constructions—the ebb and flood of Tammany Hall, successions of mayors, litanies of population growth and demographic shifts, recurring problems, mostly financial and housing, and manufacturing, geographic and architectural expansion until it peaks and stops in the 1960 and 70s.
Such a short survey of such a big place with hundreds of years of history doesn’t have much of a chance of building a sustained, let alone, compelling narrative. It’s informative, occasionally adorned with a telling detail or two or a character (Fernando Wood, Boss Tweed, LaGuardia, Koch, Giuliani) who sticks around long enough to appear in more than a single paragraph, but very summative and generalized. A good starting place and a quick read, this slender volume may whet your appetite for fuller or juicier, more focused ones but it won’t satisfy it.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, whirl-wind overview. My biggest issue with it was that, especially towards the end, it felt dated. Oftentimes in the last few chapters he slipped in his political opinions amongst the facts, not clearly sign posting it. This was particularly frustrating in his dicussions of poverty and minority groups in NYC. I'm not sure I would recommend this.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

a summary, focusing on city politics, with occasional statistics and some photos. i enjoyed how it connected some of the sparse dots of my existing knowledge of a place where i had once lived. perhaps squeezing 400 years of one of the world's largest and most influential cities into 250 pages made this inevitable, but it often felt unsatisfying. the tome was pedestrian about somewhere that feels anything but that and surely also did in the past. but i will keep it as a backgrounder while looking for books that better capture the city's drama.

[Joseph Viola · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were several interesting tidbits about NYC that I learned reading this book, it just didn't go into enough detail for me. Trying to cram 400 or so years of NYC history into 250 pages requires judicious editing and skimming of topics, which ultimately was to this book's detriment.