Mirror for Gotham: New York As Seen by Contemporaries from Dutch Days to the Present

Rating:
Summary: A valuable resource
Review: From the terrible quality photograph of the terribly missed World Trade Center on its cover, Bayrd Still's MIRROR FOR GOTHAM seemed to announce a dated and unprofessional quality. But this was not entirely the case. While there are better books containing primary source accounts of New York's history, this collection is both handy and enjoyable. Ranging from the earliest Dutch settlers through the mid-20th century, MIRROR FOR GOTHAM is a rich anthology of first-hand accounts and reflections of people's impressions of New York.

The introduction by James Richardson, although cloying and pandering at times, is a good bridge between the time the book was published in the 1950s through the early 90s. The text itself is sometimes repetitive, and the structure of introducing each large section and then each individual entry lends itself to these redundancies. It can be annoying. But if you can get passed this you will be pleasantly surprised by the variety of writers and their comments. Ultimately, the book proves its value as a historical resource and an engaging diversion.

Rocco Dormarunno
author of THE FIVE POINTS