New York Books

Craig Brandon's "Murder in the Adirondacks" is the first complete nonfiction account of the Chester Gillette - Grace Brown tragedy of 1906. The case was front page news throughout the country and provided the inspiration for Theodore Dreiser's classic novel "An American Tragedy." Dreiser's tribute, however, was a double-edged sword. It revived public interest in the case, but the creative license that was necessary to tell a good story (and protect the author from a libel suit) altered the facts and, over time, came to be accepted as truth.

In researching his book, Brandon, a former reporter and editor from upstate New York, went straight to the original sources, such as trial transcripts and newspaper coverage of the murder trial. He located previously unpublished information about Chester Gillette's early years as well as letters and photographs from private collections. The end result is a definitive account of Grace Brown's death at Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks and Chester Gillette's conviction for her murder.

Brandon outlines the known facts of the case: Chester Gillette met Grace Brown, a farmer's daughter, at the Cortland, New York, skirt factory where both of them worked. When she became pregnant in the aftermath of a clandestine relationship, he refused to damage his growing social standing by marrying her. After she threatened to expose him, they traveled together to the Adirondacks. Grace thought she was going to be married, Gillette had other plans. On July 11, 1906, she ended up at the bottom of Big Moose Lake, and Chester Gillette was accused of murdering her. Public feeling against the accused was high, especially after Grace Brown's beseeching letters to him were read in the courtroom, and he was sentenced to die in the electric chair at Auburn. Despite fervent attempts by his devoted mother to have his sentence commuted, Gillette was executed in March 1908.

Those who had read "An American Tragedy" have assumed that Chester killed Grace because he intended to marry a wealthy young socialite. Craig Brandon argues that Gillette had no plans to marry anyone- he simply didn't want to be forcibly connected to a woman who was his social inferior. The author also raises the uncomfortable question as to whether or not the youthful philanderer was really guilty of murder: Grace Brown had expressed suicidal thoughts to friends and in her letters, and Chester told the jury that she had jumped out of their boat after he declined to marry her. The district attorney pointed out that a gash had been found on the victim's head, suggesting that she had been struck and thrown overboard, but the defense team offered the plausible explanation that a grappling hook could have caused the injury when the lake was being searched for her body.

Although "Murder in the Adirondacks" doesn't offer any final answer as to what really happened that July afternoon on Big Moose Lake, it dispells long-held assumptions about the case and its principal players. It's also the first book to quote from the official record and not from sources spawned by Dreiser's fictional account. It will be the cornerstone for all future study of the case.

Murder in the Adirondacks" tells the tale of the Gillette-Brown love triangle murder of 1906. MA is more of an historical novel than a tale of true crime. Author Brandon has a background as a newspaperman, so MA is written in the who-what-where-why-when-and how style of a hard and straight news feature. Its' strength lies in Brandon's very thorough research and the poignant photos which give full context to the story. As true crime, MA is fairly tame stuff, raising little emotion. Brandon also delves into Theodore Dreiser's "companion" novel, "An American Tragedy", and the Hollywood movie "A Place in the Sun", starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters. All the bases are certainly covered. This reviewer believes that the 4 star rating above is a tad generous, but author Brandon deserves his due for the sheer research effort he put forth. Folks from the Southern Tier/Central New York areas of Cortland-Utica-Herkimer should pounce. Those folks may wish to add a star to the rating above.

This is a great book about the Chester Gillette murder case of 1906. Gillette took his girlfriend up to Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks and drowned her. He was later tried and executed. His story was turned into the novel 'An American Tragedy' and several movies. I am reading 'American Tragedy' now and it's interesting to see the parallels between the actual case and the fictionalized story.

Murder in the Adirondacks:An American Tragedy Revisited is a must read. It captures and holds a readers attention while teaching them alittle bit about Central New York History. Through the book, a reader begins to "meet" the parties who were involved in this historic case, which was played out so many years ago. And then after getting to know the people, the reader is captivated by the trial and the events which surrounded Mr. Gillette's life immideatly after the verdict. All in all, a great read. I escpecially loved it as a Cortland County resident.

I had thought I was well acquainted with the case but discovered many errors in my previous readings after reading this book. The author dispelled many myths about the case, but did not attempt to prove any position without solid facts. Recommend it to my fellow amateur "criminiologists."

I gave this book as a gift for a couple moving to NYC. They were so excited to receive it. They immediately looked through it and loved the information. It came in good condition and in the timeframe promised.

I now can go from one end of the year to another almost without ever seeing a tree I can't identify, thanks to this book. The book is like having an infinitely patient teacher with you: rather than just a list of species or a series of pictures of leaves (or bark, etc.), it identifies the most salient features of each species, noting key distinctions among similar species (you might not know that you can tell a sugar maple from a norway maple, despite their near-identical leaves, by plucking a leaf and looking at the sap, for instance, unless you read it here). What is more, if you are having problems with a particular type of tree, he gives the locations of specimens so you can see them in person (when you are in New York!). The selected species are excellent as well, because many species in an urban environment are non-native, and so typical "field guides" are not useful. A magnificent guide and introduction to horticulture and the love of plants. A must for a New Yorker, and probably the most useful tree identification guide for the Northeast in general. I think its format should become the standard for guidebooks. Using this book, it is very easy to go from zero tree knowledge to knowing hundreds of species at sight.

This is a superb pocketable book that gives the full lowdown of trees in the metro area. Full color throughout - lovely photos and enough trees included to be pretty well all you need for much of the Northeast. If you believe that trees are also about the most important contributor to a beautiful environment, then this book also serves as a good guide to the most beautiful places to visit in the NY area (including NJ, Long Island and Westchester county).

Excellently bound and water resistant for those rainy tree-identifying expeditions. The author shares interesting background on our parks and how they relate to the history of NYC. I've not walked a park walk yet, but their promise has me looking forward to spring and summer excursions.

I found the tree data (leaf, young bark, mature bark, fruit, crown shape, and where to locate examples in and around NYC) sufficient to make many local identifications so far.

One would presumably have an existing interest in tree identification to go and buy a book like this. However, if given as an unexpected gift, there is enough sincerity and information that it just might spark an interest in finding and knowing the wonderful, living trees that cohabitate with us in NYC.

This book is amazing. I've just started to pursue my interest in trees in the past year. I'm surprised at how difficult it is to be sure you're looking at the particular species you think you're looking at. Not a problem with this book. Tree walks (with maps!) in parks in all the five boroughs tell you exactly what you're looking at. The book lists the best trees in every borough and pin points where to find them. Who knew there was a White Oak with a diameter of 64 inches beside the 18th hole of the split rock golf course that may be more than 200 years old? Well, now I do. Aside from all the unusual, unexpected infomation, you'll also find an excellently rendered standard tree guide that you'd expect in any good field guide. If you live in New York City and want to know more about trees, get this book.

I bought this book because of my adoration for the City of New York, and the beautiful picture on the front. Those looking for an in-depth history of NYC or more of a "hands-on" book, should look elsewhere. This book provides what the title suggests. It is a brief introduction to the vast world that is New York City. The photography is beautiful, although sometimes blurry at edges. There are small paragraphs explaining what you are looking at. Most of the main attractions are covered (Empire State Building, Central Park, Harlem, Greenwich Village, etc), as well as some others that I didn't know about, but had my eyes opened to. I will definitely be more prepared and educated as I go to NYC next time. The only complaint is that most of the coverage is of Manhattan, and it's attractions and not so much of the other parts of New York, as the book suggests. This was fine by me, as I was mostly interested in Manhattan anyway, but could mislead others. I would highly recommend this book if you like the city of New York, or are planning a trip there. This could be a great supplement as it gives you a different view of the city, one that you can't get just by being there. A view from the air.

While in holiday in NYC in Dec 2001 I was looking this title everywhere as I thought it was out of print. However, I found a copy in a tourist shop under the Empire State Building, as a reprinted version with a newer picture on the cover -ISBN 1-57145-276-1. It was well well the $21 I paid for it. The pics are very good and there's just enough text keep it interesting. Well worth the money and a really good souvenir too. Could not find anything better for the money despite spending hours looking for this title everywhere!

It now lives on my coffee table back in GB!

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what the City of New York is really like. If a tourist to NYC were to leave their camera at home, all they would need to do to is leaf through it's pages - it's THAT good! The Capital of the World is yours to explore!

Personal Note...
I remember buying my first copy of this book during a lunch break in the summer of 2000 from Strand's Bookstore on Fulton Street - about 3 blocks from where the Twin Towers once stood. The images of Lower Manhattan stir emotions that I didn't know I had.

This book is just amazing! It is sooo reasonably priced for a book of this magnitude. If you have never been to New York City, you will still appreciate this book. It is like a tour without ever being there. I have ventured to NYC once, and this book just brings back great memories.

There are pages upon pages of pictures, which also have captions. These captions tell some of the history of the sights. I definitely see this as a good investment.

This is a great book! I have visited New York City many times in my life on business and have always loved that famous skyline. Viewing the city from the air gave me a new appreciation for the great beauty of the buildings that make up that skyline, the grand design of Central Park, and the other elements that make New York City "world class" in so many ways. I also enjoyed the brief history of New York contained in the introduction and the interesting facts and trivia in the photo captions.

This is the best planner I have been able to find. I recommend it to anyone who wants a simple planner with great organization. I really hope that this is published each year because I never want to use anything else!

This is exactly what I was looking for and has the following features:
1. The cover is nice and thick, and the inside cover has a monthly calendar on both the front and back that fold in, so you can fold them into the planner to hold your spot.
2. It has class/work schedules that run from Monday through Sunday and goes from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. in half hour increments. You put your weekly schedule on these pages.
3. The monthly calendars run from August 2005 to August 2006. Each month takes up one page, horizontally. The spaces for each of the days are a little small, but work.
4. The weekly spreads run vertically across two pages. So on the left you have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and on the right you have Thursday, Friday, and then Saturday and Sunday in smaller boxes on top of each other.
5. The weekly spreads have room for you to put your schedule and extra "to do" type things.

This is seriously the best planner I have ever used, and now I'm ordering it offline since I can't find it locally. The vertical design makes organizing class homework easy, but it also gives you lots of space to organize all your out-of-class activities, which is a big plus. Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with it- I never lose any information or dates.

"This powerful tool is a user-friendly, easy way to check daily, weekly, and monthly class and work schedules; keep track of assignments and appointments; and record notes and reminders. Features include space for a year's worth of classes, organized by quarter or semester; weekly grids in which to record meetings, study schedules, and other activities; full page monthly grids for long-term planning; and space for addresses, phone numbers, and email. In addition, you will get a directory of The New York Public Library's mighty Internet resources; recommended reference books; weights and measures, including metric conversion tables; US and Canadian holidays; lunar phases; toll-free numbers and websites for travel and lodging concerns; and incisive, inspiring, or wryly amusing quotations.

"This calendar spans the student year (August 2005-August 2006). Softcover, 160 wire-o bound pages. Size: 6 1/2 x 9", ISBN 0-7649-3002-8. Click on the small picture to see an inside page. See also: Canadian edition and Student Journal."--© Pomegranate

I have been using these planners for three years and I love them. They are basic with lots of extras all over. Highly recommended.

or for others who love newspapers and history. It's all here -- the moon landing, Nixon resigns, WWII, WWI. It's the first rough draft of history, as told by the paper of record. It's a coffee-table sized book that is a fascinating read and a conversation piece.

This is a great book for collection. It marks the important milestones in the 20th century. It will improve your general knowledge about the events in the last century and encourage you learn more about them. What is more exciting is to watch them as they were presented on the first page of NY Times. To relive those moments through the print and pictures and titles as presented on the Page One. It is much more than an encylcopedia for the last century.

It is fun to see how an incident was presented on Day One which went on to become World War One. A must collect for history lovers!

I received this as a present from one of my journalism students, and I really enjoy flipping through it. It's a coffee-table book of the major stories of the 20th century, and what a fun flip it is. I also enjoy the journalism aspect, as the style and layout changes over the decades are shocking. I wonder what the 2097 New York Times front page will look like--perhaps we will be printing the papers out on our own printer each morning, who knows. Anyway, this is a fun book for those who like a little history to go with their morning newspaper...and you don't have to be from New York to enjoy it.

I read this book first in my school's library, starting from the back and working my way towards 1896. I was amazed at all the things that had occured during those 100 years. From the crash of Flight 800 and the Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, this book illustates provides the front page of our last century and hopefully a window to the next!

These are the headlines that made the news. Often three lines, set in Italics Times, page one headlines of the "New York Times" defined American news for years. The internet, and national papers have diminished this effect somewhat, but for most of the Twentieth Century, the NYT was the news. Because of their influence, they were not only the reporters, but the generators of our news. If they didn't report it, one might wonder if it really happened.

This edition has no glorious essays explaining how wonderful people were in 1955, or how great the generation was in 1940. Instead, we get page one completed, unedited.

Only the days which made big news made the cut, but each page of the book is a complete front page. More than reproduced headlines, we can read the seondary and teriary stories, see the pictures, and know the weather. My birth year, 1966 apparently was only a big deal to me, as nothing newsworthy enough made this book.

It is a hearty book, tall and wide. It is smaller than actual paper, and the body copy seems to have shrunk to about 6.5-7 pt. Printing methods were not as good in 1900, and you'll see the smudges in the ink as the plates wore throughout the day's printing. This makes intriguing history, but occasionally difficult reading. Newer pages are reproduced cleanly.

I fully recommend "The New York Times Page One" as more than a curiosity. It would make an interesting book to provide school rooms to see the actual stories of the modern history they are studying.

Anthony Trendl

If you live in New York City, this is a great book to see what the building "insides" look like. Although I don't live there, I still enjoyed seeing the floor plans and getting a very brief descriptive of each building. Just a fun book to look at and imagine yourself living in one of the more grand one-floor coops or condos. Fun to dream! The only downside is that some of the floor plans were so small that I needed a magnifying glass to identify the room layout.

Finally I got a hold of this book! Great floor plans; but as usual, I would have liked more interior pics (hardly any).

Originally published under the title 'Apartments for the Affluent,' this book is aimed at a very narrow audience indeed. Alpern takes us through 75 luxury Manhattan apartment houses in chronological order, from 1869 to 1974. Each building has a full-page b&w photograph, a diagram of a typical floor plan, and a quarter-page-or-so description. Alpern explains the reasoning behind the various room arrangements, and how that reasoning evolved over the years. I enjoyed this book immensely, but it's not for everyone. If you ever walked by an older high-rise apartment building and wondered how the rooms were arranged and why, this slender volume will fascinate you. Otherwise, you may prefer a book that's a more general survey of the topic (including some by the same author).

This book provides excellent descriptions and floor plans of many of New York's finest apartments. It proved to be a great guide book on a recent trip to the city.

This book is a must have for any fan of architecture. A glimps into some of the most amazing buildings, complete with floorplans! My personal favorites: The Langham, 1107 Fifth Ave, 960 Fifth Ave, 625 Park Ave, River House and my ultimate favorite, the late great 410 Park Ave. I am so glad I discovered this book.

Shirley Bassey is a singer of the first order and belongs to the group of entertainers whose charisma turns every stage of the world in to a starstudded place, and whose powerful voice brings the walls to tremble. Just the announcement of a Bassey appearance on stage is a sell-out everywhere. There are few singers today that can stand a comparison to the manifold impressions a Shirley Bassey represents, and whose status quo can be entitled "STAR" ! That is why I always long for a release of this album.

Shirley Bassey is a singer of the first order and belongs to the group of entertainers whose charisma turns every stage of the world in to a starstudded place, and whose powerful voice brings the walls to tremble. Just the announcement of a Bassey appearance on stage is a sell-out everywhere. There are few singers today that can stand a comparison to the manifold impressions a Shirley Bassey represents, and whose status quo can be entitled "STAR" ! That is why I always long for a release of this album.

Shirley Bassey is a singer of the first order and belongs to the group of entertainers whose charisma turns every stage of the world in to a starstudded place, and whose powerful voice brings the walls to tremble. Just the announcement of a Bassey appearance on stage is a sell-out everywhere. There are few singers today that can stand a comparison to the manifold impressions a Shirley Bassey represents, and whose status quo can be entitled "STAR" ! That is why I always long for a release of this album.

This cd was digitally recorded in 1982 and is one of her best recordings to date. Produced and arranged by Johnny Harris who also produced her best recordings of the 70's. Best tracks include All By Myself, Don't Cry Outloud, This Masquerade, Can You Read My Mind and her version of Michael Jackson's He's Out Of my Life. Released in the UK as "Love Songs" in reached no. 48 in the pop charts.

I enjoyed all the songs on this album. But in particular, I loved the way Shirley, stylist that she is, sang "If and When"; this is my favorite song on the album. I've listened to it repeatedly and will still continue to do so. Her voice range is incredible (as always). She really puts her heart and soul into every song that she sings. I've always admired this incredible entertainer and wished that she'd do a concert in the U.S. again.

Someone gave me New York: Architects 01-02 as a gift. What a great gift! I really enjoyed this book even though I am far from artistic and know nothing about architecture and design.

The book has a stylish cover that features a pattern of geometric, almost-three-dimensional boxes that are in different shades of blue. The internal layout is easy to follow and provides a way to compare architects and their styles virtually side-by-side.

At least one reason I personally liked the book so much is that I've lived in NY for many years, and a decent number of the pictures in this book were of buildings and interior spaces I've walked by or through, admired or have always meant to see. It was interesting to focus on the art, design and structure of these buildings and spaces that are a part of my daily life and nice to realize how much New York architects have contributed to the character of New York.

Architect buffs, people getting ready to build or design a home or office or urbanites planning to design or restructure an apartment anywhere in the world will all love this book, will appreciate the easy access to information about a large number of architects and will find it incredibly useful as a source of design ideas.

What a great idea! Organized as a directory of modern architectural firms based in the New York area, this book allowed me to really get an in-depth perspective on each firm. I particularly enjoyed the section in each architectural profile where the architects themselves talk about their personal design philosophy. And of course, all those wonderful photographs of spaces and buildings! This would be a great gift book both for the serious lover of modern architecture or for someone who just likes to dream about beautiful spaces.

You don't have to be an architect to really enjoy this book.

The concept of the book, to present a number of incredibly diverse NY architects in once space, is fantastic and one I haven't seen before. And the book itself, while functional, is also great to look through and easy to read and follow. The pictures of the architectural works beautifully illustrate the diversity, style and capabilities of each architect, while the written information accesses the entire world of the particular architect by showing the scope of that architect's experience and the works for which each is responsible.

What a great book to have on your shelf or coffee table, both for the architectural of mind and the architectural lay person.

I found this book quite helpful to get to know some of the top architects in New York. You can see what the various offices are doing, what projects they've completed and which awards they got. The wealth of beautiful pictures is very inspiring.

I found this book quite helpful to get to know some of the top architects in New York. You can see what the various offices are doing, what projects they've completed and which awards they got. The wealth of beautiful pictures is very inspiring.

For all the crowds who were compelled to come to Ground Zero in those first traumatic months to see for themselves, pay their respects or simply offer moral support, most did not get close enough to see what these men and women who worked "The Pile" saw. Their lives will never be the same. Dedicated first and foremost to bringing home the victims, cutting a giant tangle of twisted steel and pushing compressed concrete--1.8 million tons of "debris"--the ironworkers, heavy equipment operators and other tradesmen who worked the site were heroic in their selfless determination to work fast and see the job through to the end. Reporters were not allowed inside and workers who talked to them could be fired. Unprepared for the horror they would see but pushing through, day after day to get the job done, these men and women came together in an unspoken bond which could not be breached, even by members of their own family. This is a story everyone should know. God bless them all.

The "outside world" owes a debt of gratitude to the men and women who worked hard to respectfully recover those who were killed on 9/11.
This book goes a long way to bring those of use who observed from afar closer to what happened in the aftermath.
The courage to step up and the morality to do what is right is imbedded in these individuals.
Thank you.

This book is a terrific account of the story of the recovery from the Pile to the Pit at the WTC Site. In contrast with the twisted and bitter 'American Ground' written by William Langewiesche some years ago, 'Nine Months's firsthand hand accounts from the rank and file men and women from the FDNY, NYPD and Constuction Trade show the human efforts and bursting hearts that forged those involved in the recovery into a band of brothers. Their desperate efforts and hopes again inspire us through this account.

It was worth waiting for until now to hear their stories in their own words and much applause to Glenn Stout, Charlie Vitchers and Robert Gray for putting this together for the rest of us. No one should miss it.

Thank you Bobby, for imortalizing the experience, and heartache, of us all.

Wonderful book that captures what really went on to clear out Ground Zero and how recoveries were handled.. Charlie Vitchers is an amazing man and is so modest for all that he accomplished. He brought compassion to recovery. Without his direction and authority recovery and clear up would have been chaotic. I highly recommend this book if you want to know what really happened at Ground Zero on Sept 11, 2001