Empire City: New York Through the Centuries

Empire City: New York Through the Centuries by Jackson, Kenneth T.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780231109086.

As perhaps never before in its extraordinary history, New York has captured the American imagination. This major anthology brings together not only the best literary writing about New York―from O. Henry, Theodore Dreiser, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Paul Auster, and James Baldwin, among many others―but also the most revealing essays by politicians, philosophers, city planners, social critics, visitors, immigrants, journalists, and historians. The anthology begins with an account of Henry Hudsons voyage in 1609 and ends with an essay written especially for this book by John P. Avlon, former Mayor Rudolph Guilianis speechwriter, called "The Resilient City," on the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center as observed from City Hall. The editors have chosen some familiar favorites, such as Washington Irvings A History of New York and Walt Whitmans "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," as well as lesser-known literary and historical gems, such as Frederick Law Olmsteds plan for Central Park and Cynthia Ozicks "The Synthetic Sublime"―an updated answer to E. B. Whites classic essay Here Is New York, which is also included. The variety and originality of the selections in Empire City offer a captivating account of New Yorks growth, and reveal often forgotten aspects of its political, literary, and social history.