The
NYC Insider
Recommends
We love a good read
and have a vast collection of books on
and about New York City. We've found that
there is almost an endless stream of New
York-related books to choose from. To
help you choose from that fast array,
we've put together a list of our
favorites. And as an extra benefit, we've
teamed with Barnes and Noble to offer you
these recommended titles at great prices:
New York Fiction
The Age of Innocence
by Edith Wharton
The story of passion and constraints
set against 1870s New York society.
Truly a masterpiece and the basis of
a wildly popular movie. Won Wharton a
Pulitzer Prize in 1920.
Bonfires of the
Vanities
by Tom Wolfe
A vivid portrayal of the clash of
cultures in 1980s New York City. The
characters, ranging from a snobby
Upper East Side bond salesman and his
"social x-ray" wife, to a
slimy tabloid reporter to a
African-American activist, are
colorful and memorable. A clear
reminder that everyone has his own
agenda.
Breakfast at
Tiffany's
by Truman Capote
Holly Golightly, around whom this
novel revolves, is one of the most
original and intriguing characters in
American fiction. Spirited and
fiercely independent, she provides a
glimpse into NYC cafe society of the
1950s.
Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
Salinger's classic coming-of-age
story portrays one young man's funny
and poignant experiences with life,
love, and sex as he wonders around
Manhattan.
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald's tale of American values
in the jazz age of the 1920s is one
of the great works of 20th-century
literature.
Explore the New York of
the Roaring Twenties from a suite at
the Plaza to the mansions on Long
Island.
The House of Mirth
by Edith Wharton
Lily Bart is beautiful and
intelligent. But her quest to rise to
the heights of the New York
aristocracy is ultimately -- and
tragically -- thwarted. A wonderful
portrayal of New York City at the
turn of the century.
The Nanny Diaries
by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola
Kraus
Nan tries to fulfill the odd requests
of Mrs. X, a Park Avenue mom who is
more interested in manicures and
designer clothes than her child, as
best she can for the sake of
4-year-old Grayer, but it is never
easy! A blistering satire that
chronicles the world of child-rearing
in the upper reaches of Manhattan's
social strata.
Time and Again
by Jack Finney
Detailed descriptions make 19th
century New York come alive in this
sci-fi adventure. You'll never
experience Central Park after a
snowfall quite the same way again!
Children's Books
The Elf of Union
Square
by Jan Carr
An ancient, crotchety elf named Hiram
and his sidekick, a Norwegian rat
named Knut, conspire to drive people
away from Union Square Park. Will
Manly, a New York Times reporter,
decides to conduct an investigation
into the mysterious events at Union
Square with help from Jack, a
fifth-grade boy on summer vacation.
Together, Jack and Manly seek out
clues to uncover the mischievous
spirit disrupting Union Square. The
result is clean fiction with a little
bit of silliness and lots of humor.
Eloise
by Kay Thompson, illustrated by
Hilary Knight
Eloise is a little girl who lives at
The Plaza Hotel in New York City and
spends her days riding the elevators,
receiving room service and otherwise
terrorizing the staff. We have yet to
meet anyone who isn't charmed by her.
From the Mixed-Up
Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg
Every child thinks at one point or
another about running away from home.
Claudia and Jamie run TO someplace --
the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This
book chronicles their amazing
adventure as they sleep in Marie
Antoinette's bed, collect change from
the fountains, and solve a mystery.
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet M. Welsch is eleven years old
and lives in Manhattan. She want to
be a writer when she grows up so she
practices by writing about her
friends and what she sees on her
daily spy routes through the Upper
East Side. What Harriet writes in her
notebook is true, but proves hurtful
when her friends find and read her
notebook. Will they ever forgive her
for what she wrote about them?
The House on East
88th Street
by Bernard Waber
You and your children are sure to be
captivated by Lyle the Crocodile, a
bright green crocodile living in a
bathtub in an Upper East Side
brownstone.
How to Take Your
Grandmother to the Museum
by Lois Wyse and Molly Rose
Goldman, illustrated by Marie-Louise
Gay
10-year old Molly shows off the
wonders of the American Museum of
Natural History, from the dinosaurs
to the mineral collection to the gift
shop.
Stuart Little
by E.B. White
Stuart Little is no
ordinary mouse. Born to a family of
humans, he lives in New York City
with his parents, his older brother
George, and Snowbell the cat. Though
he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a
true lover of adventure. Stuart's
greatest adventure comes when his
best friend, a beautiful little bird
named Margalo, disappears from her
nest. Determined to track her down,
Stuart ventures away from home for
the very first time in his life and
finds adventure aplenty.
Tar Beach
by Faith Ringgold
This wonderfully colorful book tells
the story of 8-year-old Cassie who
dreams of flying over New York City,
including the "tar beach"
on the roof of her Harlem apartment
building.
You Can't Take a
Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum
by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzmann,
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
A grandma and granddaughter admire
the masterpieces in the Museum while
their yellow balloon floats around
Manhattan.
The Young Unicorns
by Madeleine L'Engle
NYC in the 1960s for the 'tween set.
Fans of L'Engle (especially her
Austin family series) will delight in
this mystery/sci-fi thriller. The
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
setting is particularly well done.
Cookbooks
The Dean and Deluca
Cookbook
by David Rosengarten
400 gourmet recipes from the
well-known proprietors of a chain of
New York shops and national coffee
bars. Our biggest complaint is that
they left out the dessert section --
we love D&D pastries and would
have liked to try to reproduce their
yummy brownies.
New York Cookbook
by Molly O'Neill
A collection of recipes, lore and
anecdotes that capture the true
diversity of the five boroughs of New
York City. Partial royalties earned
go to the Citymeals-on-Wheels
charity. Winner of a 1992 IACP/Julia
Child Cookbook Award.
Rao's Cookbook: Over
100 Years of Italian Home Cooking
by
Frank W. Pellegrino, Pi,
Rao's,
Stephen Hellerstein (Photographer),
Contribution
by Nicholas Pileggi
For 100 years, a table at Rao's in
East Harlem, has been one of the most
sought-after, and toughest to obtain,
reservations in New York. Now
favorite recipes from this legendary
Italian restaurant have been
collected for the home cook.
Art Books
Impressionist New
York
Fabulous reproductions of the
paintings of New York City by Childe
Hassam, William Merritt Chase and
other American Impressionists. More
than 100 color illustrations.
New York City: A
Photographic Celebration
by
Susan Oyama (Photographer),
Designed by Paul Kepple
With this book you can take a
photographic tour of the city and its
landmarks. Includes more than 100
full-color photos with informative
captions and anecdotal quotations
from some of the city's most famous
residents.
New York From the
Air: An Architectural Heritage
photographs by Yann
Arthus-Bertrand; text by John
Tauranac
Lush photos from a vantage point most
of us don't usually see. Makes the
usually city-scape boring in
comparison.
History and Resource
Books
The Encyclopedia of
New York City
edited by Kenneth T. Jackson
The most comprehensive reference book
on our favorite city that we've ever
found, with over 4,000 entries by 650
NYC experts. If anyone knows the
answer, you'll find it here.
Gotham: A History of
New York City to 1898
by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike
Wallace
An epic look at New York that starts
with the Native Americans and ends
with the consolidation of the five
boroughs into the city we know today.
Unlike most histories, it is an
engaging and fun read. Also the
winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for
History.
The Works: Anatomy
of a City
by Kate Ascher, Wendy
Marech
More than 200 pages of facts about
city life including why there are
water towers on high-rise rooftops,
what it looks like inside a manhole,
and how the Port Authority cleans the
Holland Tunnel.
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