CITYSCAPES
By Howard Rock and Deborah Dash Moore

Hardbound, 11.25" x 8.5", 416 pages
787 images
2001 , Columbia University Press

From the Publisher:
Neither a conventional history of the city nor simply a collection of illustrations and photographs, this ground-breaking work weaves together diverse historical works -from political and economic analyses to ethnic and gender studies -with visual evidence from each period.

Through almost 800 images, Cityscapes tells the story of the city from its origins in the early seventeenth century through the end of the twentieth century. In lithographs, paintings, drawings, and broadsides, New York is portrayed as rising from a small Dutch outpost to a republican seaport whose life was framed by the American Revolution. The visual evidence changes to etchings, photographs, and lithographs as Cityscapes depicts a mid-nineteenth-century city torn by dislocations caused by a multiethnic society amid the turmoil of the industrial revolution. Documenting the turn of the last century, a wealth of photographs shows the new five-borough metropolis taking in waves of immigrants and portrays the evolution of the immigrant metropolis into the cosmopolitan city of mid-century. In its final chapter, Cityscapes looks at the global village and takes stock of New York´s role as the world economic and artistic capital of the late twentieth century.

This lavish volume shows how New York produced contemporary understandings of what makes a city, from a distinctive skyline, to a democratic street grid, to diverse ethnic neighborhoods. From the depths of poverty to the heights of conspicuous consumption, images of New York illustrate how we comprehend the urban past, and imagine its future.

Contents:
1. Colonial Seaport, 1623-1783
2. Republican Town, 1784-1829
3. Fragmented City, 1830-1884
4. Immigrant Metropolis, 1885-1939
5. Cosmopolitan Community, 1940-1965
6. Global Village, 1966-1999

About the Authors:
Howard B. Rock is a professor of history at Florida International University. His previous books include Artisans of the New Republic: The Tradesmen of New York City in the Age of Jefferson; The New York City Artisan, 1789-1825: A Documentary History; and Keepers of the Revolution: New Yorkers at Work in the Early Republic.

Deborah Dash Moore is professor of religion at Vassar College. Her previous books include At Home in America: Second Generation New York Jews (Columbia) and the award-winning Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia, coedited with Paula Hyman.

Reviews and comments:
"A city is constituted not just by its people, buildings, and institutions, but by its representations. Cityscapes's examination of New York's portraits over the centuries shows the way images emerge from history and in turn help construct it. Its artful interleaving of narrative and pictures makes for an eye-opening and eye-pleasing book."
–Mike Wallace, co-author of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898

"Don't miss Cityscapes! More than a book, it is a guided tour through centuries of New York history. Its great store of photos, paintings, sketches and maps puts you there, on the ground, seeing what you are reading about, feeling what it must have been like to be in New York at every point its history. The art work and the writing are well fitted, and the prose contains lots of vibrant details about the city that was. This is a book that is particularly important to keep on the shelf in a city that changes its appearance constantly."
–Ruth Messinger, former Manhattan Borough President and President of the American Jewish World Service

"A book so beautiful it grows in resonance with every passing month."
– Forward Magazine

"An engaging history of New York City . . . Rock and Moore have assembled a stunning array of paintings, drawings, broadsides, and maps that both enliven the text and illustrate the city´s development until the end of the 19th century; thereafter, the text is illustrated by etchings, lithographs and especially photographs taken by some of the best-known photographers of the time as well as by sharp eyed if lesser-known observers of the city scene. These images enrich our understanding of the city."
– Library Journal

"This cultural history is a fascinating amalgam of essays and illustrations that ranges from the city's skyline to life on its streets."
– New York Daily News

"A well-illustrated . . . cultural history. It notes that the first skyscraper to excite New Yorkers was the 23-story Flatiron Building in 1903, transformed into 'an almost mystical feature of urban landscape' . . .But in 1973 the 110-story World Trade Center 'failed to excite public enthusiasm.'"
– USA Today

"This combination of social history and rarely seen images of the city . . . covers all the bases. But it's the often surprising mid-century photographs that are most compelling."
– New York Magazine

"Cityscapes uses terrific old illustrations and photos to accompany a history of social, cultural, economic and ethnic changes, from the city's 1623 beginning as a colonial seaport to its evolution as a colossus of business in the last century. The illustrations propel you back to a city you're far too young to remember . . . But the authors don't skimp on photos, especially of New Yorkers themselves, those who, as we've seen graphically demonstrated in recent weeks, form the city's heart."
– The Miami Herald

"Rock and Moore open a window through which we can view the people and history of New York City. Combining a rich text with a splendid array of images, we see the full spectrum of vibrant urban life across four centuries."
–Paul A. Gilje, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Presidential Professor of History, University of Oklahoma

"A terrific assemblage of rare and fascinating historical images from four centuries of the life of the World's Greatest City. This is not just a picture book. Rock and Moore translate the best of social and urban history from the last fifty years into lively, intelligent prose. This is the best of the new historical portraits of the metropolis. Highly recommended for anyone who loves New York."
–Graham Hodges, Colgate University

"So well done, you want to linger on every page, walk through it over and over and just be overwhelmed with the maginificent photos."
–Patricia A. Kossmann America

"As smart as it is beautiful. Cityscapes will thrill New York history buffs."
–Miriam Wolf San Francisco Bay Guardian

"The authors have pulled together a powerful testament to the city's exhuberant past."
–Joel Schwartz New York History

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