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Mirror for Gotham: New York as Seen by Contemporaries From Dutch Days to the Present (Classic Reprint) - Softcover
Excerpt from Mirror for Gotham: New York as Seen by Contemporaries From Dutch Days to the Present
It goes without saying that some of these narratives mirror more faithfully than others the spirit and details of the urban scene. Some obviously were written on all too brief acquaintance with the city. Few writers were as intellectually humble as Lin Yutang who after ten years of residence in the United States contended that he did not know enough to write a book about Eighty-fourth Street, let alone all the dark, fathomless, mysterious city of New York. At times, language difficulties led to confusion for commentators who had to cope with a foreign tongue as well as a foreign scene. Not many were as frank in admitting this inadequacy as the Spanish Visitor who entitled his book New York: Impressions of a Nineteenth Century Spaniard Who Does Not Know English.
Bias inevitably affects the accuracy of some of the writing of this kind. The comments of Visitors from Boston and Philadelphia now and again betray the rivalry with New York that prevailed among her urban competitors along the Atlantic coast; and observers of European origin were palpably not unaffected by the relations exist ing at the moment between their homelands and the United States. The resident commentator can be biased, too; yet local pride or nostalgia sometimes serves the historian when it prompts a reflective New Yorker to compare the existing city with the one he knew in bygone days. The resident's observations benefit from his closer ac quaintance with the local scene; but his familiarity with it often results in the omission of details which the best of the foreign chroui clers do not overlook.
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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
It goes without saying that some of these narratives mirror more faithfully than others the spirit and details of the urban scene. Some obviously were written on all too brief acquaintance with the city. Few writers were as intellectually humble as Lin Yutang who after ten years of residence in the United States contended that he did not know enough to write a book about Eighty-fourth Street, let alone all the dark, fathomless, mysterious city of New York. At times, language difficulties led to confusion for commentators who had to cope with a foreign tongue as well as a foreign scene. Not many were as frank in admitting this inadequacy as the Spanish Visitor who entitled his book New York: Impressions of a Nineteenth Century Spaniard Who Does Not Know English.
Bias inevitably affects the accuracy of some of the writing of this kind. The comments of Visitors from Boston and Philadelphia now and again betray the rivalry with New York that prevailed among her urban competitors along the Atlantic coast; and observers of European origin were palpably not unaffected by the relations exist ing at the moment between their homelands and the United States. The resident commentator can be biased, too; yet local pride or nostalgia sometimes serves the historian when it prompts a reflective New Yorker to compare the existing city with the one he knew in bygone days. The resident's observations benefit from his closer ac quaintance with the local scene; but his familiarity with it often results in the omission of details which the best of the foreign chroui clers do not overlook.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Back Cover:
This collection of excerpts from contemporary essays and letters captures a panoramic picture of New York City as described by its awed visitors from the Dutch days to the 1960s; a new Introduction by Professor Richardson brings us up to date. James Fenimore Cooper, Frances Trollope, Charles Dickens, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Giuseppe Giacosa, Rudyard Kipling, and H.G. Wells, as well as lesser-known authors, are all featured in this sweeping survey of nearly 600 excerpts.
About the Author:
The late Bayrd Still was Professor of History and Head of the History Department at New York University, and was recognized as an authority on the history of American cities. James F. Richardson is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Akron.
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- PublisherForgotten Books
- Publication date2024
- ISBN 10 0282112782
- ISBN 13 9780282112783
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages471
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Mirror for Gotham (Classic Reprint)
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ISBN 10: 0282112782
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Print on Demand. Excerpt from Mirror for Gotham. About the Publisher, Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. This text has been digitally restored from a historical edition. Some errors may persist, however we consider it worth publishing due to the work's historical value. The digital edition of all books may be viewed on our website before purchase. print-on-demand item. Seller Inventory # 9780282112783_0
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