New York Life at the Turn of the Century in Photographs

Rating:
Summary: Major Disappointment - Am Returning
Review: Based on the other reviewers I thought this would be a good buy and I had it on my Amazon.com wish list for many months before buying. I was more than disappointed when I got the book, and I am returning this book to Amazon.com.

Here is what we have: about 125 black and white photos - one per page of people eating, dinining, having meetings, skating, working in kitchens, in boiler rooms, in parks, painting, etc. all bound in a soft flexible cover.

Here are the areas where the book fails:
- no text or essentially no comments other than three pages of notes at the rear, so we just see picture after picture,
- many of the street scenes are close shots of people that could be anywhere in 1900, and there is no clear New York connection, and New York appears twice in the book title,
- few archictectural or city shots to set the location in New York and to pull things together.

These pictures could be in Chicago, Cleveland, or even Toronto in 1900 and there is no clear theme in the edit and presentation. In short, marginally interesting and dull and we do not see much new.

Just a so so effort worth 2 stars but the photographer deserves more so it is 3 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating revalations
Review: I am a great fan of Dover Books on NY. Coming from Italy where classic architecture is rife, what never ceases to amaze me is the evolution that is continously taking place in the big apple. The same spot seems to have been built upon "n" times. This book adds some beautiful photos of NY indoors as well, in restaurants, at clubs and parties. If feels as if I had just walked into a Henry James or Edith Wharton novel.

Rating:
Summary: great for historical value
Review: I bought this for research. It has wonderful pictures that invite you into the life and business of New York 1900. It describes city life then in a way words can't.