Incredible New York: High Life and Low Life from 1850 to 1950

by Lloyd R. Morris

This is the entertaining story of New York City's social life and customs over the period 1850 to 1950.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books on on this time period because they happen to be in front of me. However, this was one of the more entertaining ones because it focused on the fads and fashions by decade. Like I knew about the Waldorf Salad, but not that the Waldorf Astoria also introduced the recipe for Chicken a la King to every housewife in the hinterlands.

It's definitely the sort of thing you want to read before you resume watching HBO's The Gilded Age. It makes me wonder if there will be an episode devoted to one of Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish's surreal parties. She seemed to be mocking New York society's rigid pecking order and threw a party for a monkey as the guest of honor.

There is also a lot of material on the Bowery and the Tenderloin and you really get a sense of how formerly posh neighborhoods became slums overnight.

[Bob Schnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1951, "Incredible New York" looks back at the rise of the metropolis from the American Civil War to the time of publication. Broken into four distinct eras, the book covers both high society and the more colorful immigrants, commoners and criminal element. The running theme is that the city is always changing, never the same from week to week. Farmland became mansions, mansions became museums and no square inch is exempt from metamorphosis. Some chapters are better than others and the last ones dragged on, but it is good primer for anyone who might want to explore further.
I wonder what author Lloyd Morris would think of the 70 years since his death in 1954? I'm pretty sure he's say something akin to "I told you so."

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget the silly title, this book is one of the most well-written and compelling histories I've ever read. It brims with the personality of the author and vividly captures both the low-life and high-life of the city's past. It's simply a fun read, a terrific ride.

[Andres]

The most interesting history is in the 19th century section. It becomes far too slapdash once it reaches the 20th. It does not answer why Coney Island is named such. I had to research that independently.

[Wayne Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful treatment of the wealth of material that constitutes the history of New York city.

[Enea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una maravilla. Lleno de anécdotas y personajes que hicieron a la vida pública de Nueva York y por qué tiene el estatus de la metrópolis #1.
Un recorrido dividido en cuatro secciones que van desde el 1850 y la construcción de la ciudad, pasando por el establecimiento de una aristocracia neoyorquina, la Gilded Age y finalizando con los locos años veinte y el crack del '30.
La cantidad de data que tiene, por momentos, abruma, pero el autor es lo suficientemente inteligente para no quedarse solo en eso. Hay arquitectura, prensa, teatro, cabarets, barrios bajos, literatura, transporte, y todas esas cosas.