New York Books

Having spent a lot of time looking for information on imaginative & fun (and sometimes luxury) travel with kids, I can tell you that this is a really unique book. It is comprehensive, carefully researched and well written with loads of practical tips. Some 'travel with kids' books might as well just be bland advertising copy, this one really provides good editorial content, with positive and critical comments. It is a pleasure to read and we will use it for a long time. Fodor's should publish more of these for other parts of the US/world.

I loved this book and would recommend it to any family wanting to travel in the northeastern United States. The writers offer tips and reviews on places of interest, resorts, and campgrounds in a wide range of prices. In fact, we have visited some of those places and found a brand new vacation prospect in Lake George which we will be trying out this summer! Definitely one of the most informative travel books on the market today -- entertaining even if you do not go to these places.

Very useful book for locals and visitors. We liked the way it gave us recommended age groups and prices. We can now plan ahead places to visit within and on the way to our next holiday area. We have also used it for planning field trips from the school into San Francisco. Easy to use and enjoyable to read.

I've been searching for a book like this for several years and haven't found one that fit the bill until now! I had a great time reading it - so well written - and got more useful information than I'll ever be able to use in one lifetime! Thanks so much to the writers and publishers!

I bought this book for my husband. He likes it very much that he is trying several recipes. This book is pretty much well done. Congratulatios to everyone who colaborated in this awesome mexican culinary book. Thanks to the chef and author of this book Scott Linquist who traveled to my country to learn and taste the real mexican food.

A very user friendly cookbook ideally suited for cooking good things at home. A perfect gift for your friends who love to cook. Scott's restaurant is a "must do" when you travel to New York City.

I had the pleasure of attending a Scott Linquist cooking demo and one of the things made was guacamole. Now guacamole is how I judge a Mexican restaurant. The quality of the guacamole, usually reflects the quality of the rest of the menu. Needless to say I have tasted a lot of guacamole and was prepared to be unimpressed but I have to tell you it was the best guacamole I have ever tasted. On the strength of this alone I bought a copy of his cookbook Mod Mex half expecting the recipes to be intricate and complicated. I was pleasantly surprised to find not only clear easy to follow recipes but also loads of step by step pictures showing the techniques key to making each dish such as how to wrap a tamale properly.

If you love Mexican food this is a great addition to your collection both for it's fresh modern take on classic recipes but also it's detailed pictures of the proper way to prepare them.

Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home

This is a great cookbook for Mexican food lovers. It is simple to follow and has great illustrations. Of course, I am a little predjudiced! Be careful with the chiles, though. I'm a little wimpy so I had to cut down the amount on some recipes!

Outstanding! Everything I need to know in one easy to read book.
Jackie Cioffa and Karen Moran THANK YOU!

been looking for something like this for my 15 year old daughter who is interested in becoming a fashion model. i found it a good source of information on the subject- thanks

Wow! The illustrations in this guide are sooo cool and the advice was smart and to the point- It saved me a lot of time and answered tons of questions I had about the fashion world. I loved the map on NYC and got to check out their hotspot suggestions. Thx so much to those two top models!

This was a great book and they tell you all of the tricks!
I learned a lot from this book and can not wait for the summer so I can get started! I recommend this to anyone who is serious about getting into the fashion industry as a model!!!!!

This book is a serious textbook for the real estate student in New York. Broken up into 2 main sections (Agent / Broker) Lark dishes out information in rapid fire succession in well organised chapters. The tome is laid out with minimal wasted space and ranks high on content.

The section on contracts is intense and covers pretty much anything you would ever want to know. The building terms section is great for the uninformed and the mechanically un-inclined.

The state boards hit questions from just about every chapter so this book is a winner. By the time you finish this book you will feel like you have spent a week in Law 101 but it is WELL worth it and will make you a better agent in the end.

Before you buy make sure you know which book your school program will be using as their are several options.

This book is well-written and I found it easy to understand. It is well-organized and contains loads of information essential to selling real estate in New York. The questions at the end of each chapter are in my opinion, more difficult than those on the state exam. Don't expect these same questions on your state test. Also, I purchased two other books to use as study guides for the state exam because this book doesn't quite fully prepare you, especially if some time has passed since you finished your course hours and when your state exam appointment is scheduled.

Packed with the latest information and extremely well written, this book shall have a permanent place on my desktop along with my other most important reference books. The two-color text does highlight much of the most important information. I personally found, however, that additional highlighting and underlining of other paragraph parts was necessary in order to make concepts much clearer and easier to distinguish (especially during later review). I purchased and read this book in advance of taking a 10-day accelerated Salespersons' course. I now feel confident that I can participate in the upcoming classroom sessions without the worry of having to keep up with the required nightly reading.

I purchased this book for an intro to Real Estate class I was taking. This book was very informative and upon reading I discovered alot about real estate laws regarding renting and buying that I had no idea about. This book also refers to very helpful websites that the general public has no knowledge about. I definitely can say that because of this book noone will be taking advantage of me! I know my rights now!

This attractive book, with over 250 historical photographs, tells the story of a unique neighborhood in New York City. Dolkart traces its development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from a rural, undeveloped tract with an insane asylum and an orphanage into the home of some of the nation's most important educational and religious institutions (Columbia, Barnard and Teachers College, Union and Jewish Theological seminaries, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Riverside Church, and the Institute of Music and Art (later Juilliard and now Manhattan School of Music). The architectural history is meticulously documented, tracking the invovement of the major architects of the period in the neighborhood's transformation. The book also explores the involvement of New York's wealthiest families in and the rivalries that drove this neighborhood's development. Dolkart also for the first time documents the growth of Morningside Heights as the first middle-class apartment building neighborhood in New York City. His insights into this process help all those interested New York City and other urban centers in this country in understanding the fascinating ways in which important neighborhoods take shape and influence the future history of their city and the nation. This is a must for all those who love and study New York City, and urban and architectural history and development.

This book is NOT an architectural survey, per se. It does not attempt to catalogue all the historic or important structures of the neighborhood as, say, an AIA Guide does. Instead, it considers in some detail the architectural history of the neighborhood and its major institutions. We know which ones: Columbia University, Barnard College, Riverside Church, Union Theological Seminary, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and St. Luke's Hospital. As a tool for practicing architects or as a source for architectural historians, this book is about as good as they get. As a piece to enjoy for the general, curious reader it's a bit academic. Photographs are all black and white, and are technical and pragmatic rather than artistic.

One more point: The narrative seems largely absent of knee-jerk political correctness and fadish multi-culturalist rhetoric, which is refreshing. Thus, the author has stopped at nothing in order to maintain the highest academic and scholarly standards in the book. Well done, in that regard.

I bought this book because I was born and raised in Morningside Heights. I moved away years ago and now live in another state but I often feel nostalgia for my old and very unique neighborhood. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in the shadow of the Cathedral of St. John The Divine and surrounded by the three great public parks, Central, Morningside, and Riverside. Central Park is famous and Riverside is fairly known but very few outside the area know of the beauty of Morningside Park and Morningside Drive. This book is filled with photos and illustrations and tons of history. I recommend it to students of history of N.Y.C., architecture, and anyone interested in learning about the lesser known areas of New York.

Morningside Heights is one of America's greatest unknown architectural treasures. Most people who didn't go to Columbia University or one of its other institutions of learning don't even know that it exists. But this half-square-mile of Manhattan boasts classic old-fashioned streetscapes, dotted with architectural monuments, that compare to the best Europe has to offer. Mr. Dolkhart's book on how it all got built is comprehensive, flawlessly accurate, well illustrated, and informed by a cultivated urban sensibility from which we all can learn. I am the webmaster of this neighborhood's website.

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK YOU SHOULD READ MY CHIMP FRIDAY YOU HAVE TO READ THIS IT HELPS YOU GET BETTER.

I like this book because its a mystery.Its a mystery because the dads friend brought his family a chimp.His friend Bucky Greene, told them that the chimp is top secret.They tried to find out why the chimp was top secret and why they could not tell anyone.I also like this book because of friday,my favorite character.Friday is a chimp who is very smart and outgoing.He is very smart because he can type on the computer,he is outgoing because he is always ready to do something or play,and he is very intresting to read about. I also like how they describe the characters or setting very realistic.my favorite realistic lines in this book are this"choclate eyes were set in a light mocha face.His chin was a powder-white fuzz of beard.His hair was silky and black and parted in the center of his head,bristling out at the sides around two comically big ears".It is really cool because i like chimpanzeezs and it tells alot about how they live and their life.The number one reason i like this book is because it is a entertaining and heartfelt book.

Do you like animals stories? Do you like mysteries with lots of slapstick humor and puns? Then I know you'll enjoy MY CHIMP FRIDAY, because it's all those things rolled into one.

When 12-year-old Rachel first sees Friday he's a small, frightened bundle of enchanting fur who reaches out to hug her and cling to her neck. Naturally, she goes "ape" over him. The fantastic news is that the strange little man who brings him to Rachel's home at 2:00 in the morning says they get to keep him --- for a while. But they can't tell anybody they've got him. How can Rachel and her little brother Jared keep a lively chimpanzee with 32 varieties of ear-splitting howls, yowls, and screeches a secret --- especially from nosy Aunt Lisa? It's definitely going to be a challenge.

It's also a challenge when Rachel finds out that the strange little man who left Friday with them slipped on a banana peel and died. As sad as that seems sad it's also a little mysterious. And Rachel loves a good mystery. But first and foremost, Rachel figures this means she gets to keep Friday for good. Wow! Her own little baby chimpanzee!

And he's a smart baby. Incredibly --- one might even say mysteriously --- smart. He can type real words on computers. He understands what people say to him. He's one smart little ape, and some bad people "ape-solutely" want him for themselves.

What will these people be willing to do to him to discover his secret? Read MY CHIMP FRIDAY to find out how Rachel unravels the mystery and maybe you'll learn Friday's secret!

--- (...)

Twelve-year-old Rachel instantly falls in love with little Friday, a chimpanzee that has been left in her Father's care for a week, by a scientist named Bucky Greene, who is hard at work developing a non-slip banana peel. However, the circumstances of Friday's arrival are strange, for Bucky turns up at Rachel's New York City apartment with the little ape at 2:00 in the morning, saying that Friday is "top secret." Then Bucky turns up dead, and Rachel knows that something fishy is up. Something that she has to try to solve. After all, reading all of those NANCY DREW mysteries have left her with some ideas of how to be a good detective.

As an animal and mystery lover, I was absolutely ecstatic to come across MY CHIMP FRIDAY. Hester Mundis has done a spectacular job of weaving a fiction story that can appeal to both children and adults who love animals. Her descriptions of Friday's many talents, as well as the emotions that flow from all of the characters to Friday, and vice versa, are touching, and wonderfully described, and are sure to make MY CHIMP FRIDAY a best-seller. This is a lovely book that should be in the homes of all.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

I stumbled onto Rebecca York (Ruth Glick) with her moon series, an instant fav and later found she has many, many more works out in the literary world and I set out to collect them. So glad I did! "Never Too Late" is just another example of what you can always count on and expect of Ruth Glick.

Never Too Late is about Mariana Reyes and Scott O'Donnell. Scott, 6 yrs ago thought Marianna had betrayed him when he was hauled off to prison in South America and tortured. Now, by manipulated forces, they are brought together again and on the run togethr to save their own lives and figure out who is behind all that is swarming around them. Some old friends from previous stories (Till Death Do Us Part) come into help Scott try and escape, alive, and prove his innocence.

The one over played "secret" of a child that Scott never knew of, was not like alot of the overdone schemes of some books. It was done very well, full of drama, and the daring rescue. Very believeable read full of military corruption and drug lords, a standard few could manage, but Glick is one of them! And ofcourse, romance is abdunant and scattered around just right, a personal style that only speaks of York. Not as hot as some of her reads, but perfectly fit for this book!

A definite must have. Few authors can pull off a REAL read in the short span of an Intrigue or Blaze, but Rebecca York is one you can count on!

I always enjoy reading Rebecca York's books. They're fast paced and I love the way she weaves the romance and the suspense together into one exciting, emotional story. At first Scott isn't able to trust Mariana because of what she did to him in the past. But he can't help falling in love with her all over again--and admitting his role in the terrible things that happened to him in San Marcos. This Rebecca York title has a particularly heartwarming ending, because the main characters' young daughter is involved. Don't miss it!

Ruth Glick proves once again she's the most consistently strong Intrigue writer working today in her latest 43 Light Street tale as Rebecca York, "Never Too Late." This is romantic suspense as it should be.

Six years ago, Mariana Reyes was tricked into betraying Scott O'Donnell. Captured and tortured by government agents in her small Latin American country, he soon returned to the United States, knowing nothing of the child she carried--his child. Mariana has been on the run ever since. Now, desperate to find a safe life for her and her daughter, she reaches out for help--and is led to Scott. He's never forgotten her or what she did, but now they will have to work together. To discover why individuals in both of their governments will do anything to find them, and to recapture a passion that neither time nor betrayal could kill.

In this era when prices go up while page counts go down and type gets bigger, Glick is one of the few authors offering more story for your money. This isn't a disposible romance sure to be forgotten as soon as the last page is turned, but one that will stick with the reader for a long time. Here is what is offered in "Never Too Late:" truly gripping suspense, several steamy encounters that are among the most sensual the series has had to offer, plenty of action sequences, heart-tugging emotion, and two strong-willed, intelligent adults involved in the kind of passionate romance that we know will last. Scott and Mariana's is the kind of larger-than-life love that seems fated. Mariana, in particular, is a unique heroine, a combination of old and new world sensibilities, and both she and Scott are more nuanced than many romance leads these days. Watching them overcome danger at every turn, and do it together, is a joy.

Glick also takes that overused plot device, the secret baby, and makes it her own. Anyone who's sick of reading about secret babies should check out this book to see how it can work. The circumstances for why Scott knows nothing about his daughter make sense, unlike so many books where it's based on a stupid misunderstanding. The author doesn't drag it out for some kind of phony confrontation in the final third. Instead, Mariana deals with the secret like a rational human being, and Scott's reaction to finding out is perfect. These scenes in particular are packed with amazing moments.

Unlike nearly all the Intrigues released today, which seem to reflect a belief that nothing happens outside North America, this is a tale that covers a lot of ground, from Miami to the jungles of Latin America. It's also the kind of story full of government agents and military treachery that only Glick and Gayle Wilson seem willing to take on for Intrigue. An adventure to set pulses pounding and a romance that won't soon be forgotten, this is romantic suspense at its best. For those making their twentieth visit to Light Street (fans of #318, "Til Death Us Do Part" will find some old friends involved) or those discovering the series for the first time, this is one book that should not be missed. Quite simply, I loved it.

Never Too Late is a riveting story about lovers torn part in a Central American country of San Marcos. Scott O'Donnell, a young filmmaker believes that Marianna Reyes betrayed him six years ago landing him in prison where he was tortured for information that he didn't have. Marianna thought she was saving him when she seemingly betrayed him and only learned different six years later when Scott finds her again. Passion smolders under the surface of his hurt and anger, and they are betrayed again by people who want them dead. Of course this is all tied into their past and secrets they must unravel to save their lives and the life of the child they created six years before.

The story is fast paced and well written, an excellent addition to Rebecca York's 43 Light Street series. I recommend it highly.

The New Amsterdam Theatre is amazing. It has been given a new life. This book tells that story. It brings us back to Old New York when there used to be over fifty theatres!! It is a shame that we've let them be destroyed. But this book gives the story of a theatre and a peek into a past that deserves to be remembered.

This is the most beautiful book I own. I had been to the New Amsterdam in its most painful days. At this time I saw Mondo Cane and would not sit down it was such a flea bag theatre. It was a historical sight...Ziegfeld Folies et al. I really felt sad as I stood there feeling the greatness that had passed; at the time I felt... forever. Disney has brought the theatre and the feeling back. I witnessed this with my viewing of LION KING. What I felt had been lost forever can be seen in this wonderful book. The pictures before and after make one feel that nothing is impossible. The beauty that had decayed and looked irreversable has been accomplished and this book, and this theatre stand as testaments to what can be accomplished. Anyone who has walked into a theatre and felt the past rekindle will love to read this inspiring book. This book shows the cycle of a wonderful theatre and all that it was and lost and then saved. It symbolizes the rise and fall of 42nd Street as well as one beautiful theatre. This book will for once and for all show what a thetare can be and fall to and rise above. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Theatres anywhere and what they should symbolize to all of us.

This book offers an excellent overview of the New Amsterdam Theater from the beginning through the recent renovation with discussions of the architecture of the building, the decorative artwork and of course a history of shows that have played at the theater from the beginning.

Do you know a theater buff who deserves the perfect gift this holiday season? Disney's Hyperion has just released the ideal book for anyone who loves the theater: The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theatre.

The book is as striking as New York's famed and recently refurbished New Amsterdam Theatre. Opening from the center to reveal the main stage framed by delicate murals and art nouveau decorations, the book is brimming with pictures. It begins with decades old photographs and sketches that depict the grace and splendor of the theater when it opened in 1903 and concludes with before-and-after pictures demonstrating the care and effort that went into the building's restoration.

This book does not simply tell the story of the rise, fall, and rebirth of the Broadway landmark, it recounts the history of American theater as it passed over the stage of the New Amsterdam. From the Ziegfeld Follies to Fred Astaire to Jack Benny to Disney's recent staging of King David, the New Amsterdam welcomed America's most famous and talented performers. The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theatre makes this history come alive with photos of movie posters, actors, sets, and costumes.

Disney is to be commended for committing their resources to the painstaking and comprehensive restoration project that has saved the New Amsterdam from its undeserved fate as a forgotten and abandoned relic from Broadway's' glamourous past. They can also be congratulated for offering this remarkable book that preserves and shares 94 years of America's artistic heritage.

on NY architecture.

The entire collection is a MUST for every lover of NY.

This is the New York people fall in love with, the iconic Art Deco skyline, the great skyscrapers of the 20's and 30's. When you see pictures of the skyline of the late 30's you can't help but be impressed by the awesome beauty of the all the spires. The modern skyline today is full of mediocre "modern" skyscarpers and post modern pretenders, I mean have you seen the pictures of the proposed Freedom Tower of SOM's David Childs, the very definition of bland; 1,776 feet of boring. As for this fantastic book, it's perfect; the images are well presented and the text scholarly, really an education on NYC architecture between the Great Wars. Highly Recommended.

This is an encyclopedic description of New York as I remember it from my student years. The numerous neat clean photographs and drawings present an idealized city. But what is additionally fascinating are the rich background histories that illustrate the social and economic complexity of Gotham. I enjoy this book at two levels: one, as a valuable artistic document, two, as an encapsulation of the memories and fantasies of my youth. I bought a sport coat at Finchleys; I lived in the Greenpoint Housing Project; I wanted to work or live in those buildings; I wanted to draw like those architects and engineers. I loved these last embodiments of Art Deco construction and the grand civic projects.

This history presents New York from the viewpoint of the upper crust and the insulated, the planning was grand and well funded. The slums, the dirt, the menace of some streets and the ethnic tapestry are ignored. Just as memory tends to purge the unpleasent, so does this book, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.

When people talk about New York's Golden Age, they're usually referring to the late 1800s, but I would argue that New York's true Golden Age was the 1920s. With over 800 pages, this tome is difficult to handle, but nevertheless, it covers New York at its peak of glory, and is the best of Robert Stern's books about New York architecture (e.g., New York 1880, New York 1900, New York 1960). Especially noteworthy are the beautiful b&w photos, averaging more than one per page. There are also approximately 40 floor plans, although most page space is given over to text. The authors give attention to both exteriors and interiors of the era's buildings. Each chapter covers a specific type of building, with a special emphasis on Rockefeller Center, the 1939 World's Fair, 57th Street, and the works of architects Kahn, Walker, and Hood.

on the history of NY's architecture and great buildings.

You should own all of them.

First of all, the book is just too darned big to handle comfortably. With over 1300 pages, I don't know whether to congratulate the authors on their thoroughness or criticize them for having no sense of self-restraint. This tome could have been divided into three separate volumes, and each would have been a substantial book in itself.

The epic length of the book allows the authors to go into incredible detail. The book is divided into chapters primarily by neighborhood. There are also chapters devoted to the topic of interior decoration, the 1964-65 World's Fair, "Beyond the Boroughs," "Historic Preservation," and "New York and the Arts." The numerous b&w photographs, averaging more than one per page, are stunning.

A chapter titled "Death by Development" walks the reader through the ideology of the era that led to public housing monstrosities, as well as middle-class housing of dubious aesthetic and structural integrity. This same chapter discusses proposals for air-raid shelters, some of which would have had expanses large enough to hold a nine-story building, as well as the 1945 incident in which a US military plane crashed into the Empire State Building. The same chapter shifts to transportation issues, and presents a 1951 proposal for an unconventional "people mover" under 42nd Street, and the beginning of construction in 1972 on the Second Avenue subway (which perhaps, will open sometime in my lifetime). All this in just one of seventeen chapters - gives you some idea of the expansiveness and thoroughness of this book.

Many readers will take special note of the eight pages devoted to the World Trade Center. This book was written before "9-11," and the book's coverage of the WTC is haunting, to say the least.

From our perspective, the era in question (1945-1976) constitutes the "dark ages" of urban planning and architecture. Yet, the beautiful period photographs and accompanying text immerse the reader in the aesthetic mentality of the era. This book is a masterpiece, and maybe later in the day I'll find the strength to move this eight pound book from my table to my desk.

I guess this book had to be written, it is a series afterall, but it is digusting what kind of buildings were built. Having said that, this is an excellent book and it is scholarly and the images are first rate, but lord these are for the most part terrible buildings that just about ruined the iconic Manhattan skyline, I guess at least we should be glad Jackie O, saved Pan Am from tearing down the breathtaking Grand Central Station, unfortunitely the same cannot be said for Penn Station, I think what you come away with from this book is, greedy developers, awful Mayors and the sinsister Robert Moses, it's a wonder the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building were not torn down.

A great book for the coffee table or the library. Concise desriptions of built projects as well as conceptual ideas for the City of New York. Focuses on individual neighborhoods as well as the city as a whole.