City Pick New York

Description

F Scott Fitzgerald journeys up Fifth Avenue Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo arrive in Greenwich Village Alistair Cooke looks out over Central Park David Byrne does the Five Boro Bike Tour Edmund White finds a city of freedoms Jan Morris recalls Manhattan 1945 Ian Frazier hears it for Brooklyn Teju Cole encounters the Statue of Liberty John Dos Passos pities the poor immigrant and over fifty other writers on New York, past and present.

Reviews

'The latest in Oxygen Books' city-pick series, in which short literary extracts are seamlessly blended into a compelling narrative about a city. Once again Heather Reyes has crafted a remarkable statement about a city - Most importantly she captures the vibrancy and excitement that makes New York very special - This sublime and "literary" travel book operates on so many levels. For those who have never been in New York, here are some of the greatest writers painting the city in magical word pictures. For those who know and love the city, here are images so evocative you will feel as though you are there. And for those planning to visit, this is a compendium of everything that is special about the city.' Bruce Elder, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age 'With more than 150 excerpts from fiction and non-fiction, Reyes succeeds in capturing the authentic flavour of the Big Apple - this excellent addition to the city-pick series of urban anthologies' The Guardian 'A welcome glimpse into another part of this eternally energising city's soul' Wanderlust 'A wealth of atmospheric literary snippets that evoke the "crush and heave" of New York City - this gazette dips into a host of writers whose themes range through the city's history, jazz and architecture - a prismatic, engrossing and skimmable work, the book suggests further intriguing tangents for further exploration - both on foot and on the page' Financial Times 'There are a plethora of different city guide books out on the market, most of which are glorified lists of attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops. They are as impersonal as they are repetitive and those who follow their advice religiously often find another thousand tourists in any given place that have done exactly the same. They are fine for practical information but they are certianly not going to enrich your experience or offer you anything a quick trip to the tourist office couldn't provide. Not so for the 'city-pick' series of books, which regroups the very best of literature written about the greatest cities on the planet from some of its finest authors. The New York edition is divided into 12 sections, including, 'On the Waterfront', 'Big Yellow Taxis etc' and 'Celebrity City', and offers insights into various aspects of The Big Apple as seen through those who have written about it. Snipets of work from the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote and Washington Irving stir up images of the city from days gone by while Beatrice Colin, Teju Cole and Ian Frazier give a more modern day account of the city that never sleeps. Unlike the regular guide book, the city-pick book is one that you can make your own, or rather one that will make your trip your very own and not the same as the next person who has bought Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Open the book at whichever page you desire and there will be a sentence to make you think, to make you dream, to make you wonder (or even wander). It is the type of book that can be read before, during and after your visit but which will have three very different meanings. Equally, you could just choose to read it, or part of it, before you leave and visit those areas of the city which have left the deepest impression on you. Or why not open it up once you've arrived and see where the writing takes you. Or simply leave it at home, take some time to let it all sink in and then compare your thoughs, feelings and emotions to those who have put theirs down in black and white. The city-pick collection is a superb way to learn about a destination that you do not know at all and an equally good way to challenge your perceptions or complement your knowledge about one that you (think you) do know. The type of book that can be opened up at any page, the city-pick guide also covers Paris, London, Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam and Venice.' Easyvoyager 'The hubbub of clamouring voices covers the history of the city, the difference between the five boroughs, the architecture, the famous inhabitants, the experience of living in NYC and more. It's an intriguing prospect, and the multitude of subjects and viewpoints gives a good impression of the heterogeneity and bustle of the great metropolis, and succeeds in painting it as a unique and thrilling place' The Irish Times 'Oxygen Books' range of "city-pick" titles collect the best bits of writing about a certain city. Having hop, skipped and jumped from Venice to Amsterdam via Berlin and other European cities they have finally crossed the Atlantic to the Big Apple. A slim volume, perfect for carry-on, the New York edition is a fast-paced powerwalk through different "themes" or moods of the city, including "On the waterfront", "And all that jazz" and "Village Life". Each chapter contains segments from published works from writers such as Tom Wolfe, Saul Bellow and Jonathan Franzen, mixing memoir with fiction, reportage and travel writing. Perhaps the most affecting is "Good Times, Bad Times", which includes a section from Don DeLillo's Falling Man, centered around 9/11, with its nightmarish vision of "falling ash and near night". Other standouts include Jan Morris' evocation of the overcrowded tenements in the 1940s, known as "lung blocks" because of the easy spread of TB, and Luc Sante's depiction of the "freewheeling bohemia" hipster hangout that was Greenwich Village (before the rents went up). Edited by Heather Reyes, City Pick: New York works both as an excellent, and imaginative, alternative travel guide, and as an easy way for wannabe Manhattanites to pop in and out of the city that never sleeps.' Katie Allen, We Love This Book 'A street-by-street collection of Big Apple writings from Jan Morris to F Scott Fitzgerald to Alan Bennett that gives readers as much social and historical insight as it does a geographical one - Overall the tone works well and the start of a new chapter is a welcome glimpse into another part of this eternally energising city's soul' Wanderlust 'We really liked this approach to New York, New York is the place that most of us feel we know, whether we have visited, or not. Full of fascinating descriptive passages; 'People lean on their horns from one end of Canal Street to the other. They'll honk non-stop for minutes at a time, until the horns get tired and out of breath. They'll try different combinations: shave-and-a-haircut, long-long-long, short-short-short-long. Some people have musical car horns; a person purchasing a musical car horn seems to be limited to a choice of four tunes-"La Cucaracha" "Theme from The Godfather" "Dixie, and "Hava Nagila" Ian Frazier, Gone to New York (2005). This book creates a picture of New York through the writers who have visited, or who have described New York in the writings. A wonderful, imaginative creative take on New York, that will be a perfect companion to anyone thinking of visiting, or to bring back memories for anyone who has previously visited. Highly Recommended! Hot Brands and Cool Places