Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0789327228 ISBN 13: 9780789327222

Publisher: Universe, 2014

Synopsis

A love letter to Greenwich Village, written by artists, writers, musicians, restaurateurs, and other neighborhood habitues who each share a favorite memory of this beloved place. The sixty stories in this collection of Village memories are exuberant, poignant, original, and vivid-perfectly capturing the essence of the Village.

Every corner of the Village is represented in the book: recollections of jazz clubs and existentialism on Bleecker Street, rock music at St. Mark's Place, folk singers in Washington Square Park. There are stories of Hans Hofmann teaching modern art on 8th Street and Lotte Lenya performing in The Threepenny Opera on Christopher Street. Decades later, Brooke Shields muses on renovating a brownstone and finding history behind its walls; and Mario Batali lyrically describes a Sunday morning walk through the food markets of Bleecker Street. The stories are complemented by a wide range of photographs by iconic figures such as Allen Ginsberg, Rudy Burckhardt, Berenice Abbott, Saul Leiter, Ruth Orkin, and Weegee. Paintings depict elegant red-brick facades and raffish Hudson River piers, now restored; theater posters spotlight Karen Finley and John Leguizamo. This is a book for those who are already beguiled by the Village as well as those just discovering this fabled place.

About this title

About the Author

Judith Stonehill is the author of New York's Unique and Unexpected Places, Greenwich Village, and Brooklyn. She was the co-owner of the New York Bound Bookshop.

Review

"If neighborhoods could talk, New York’s Greenwich Village would have plenty to say. And thanks to the new book Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories, readers get to hear its tales (almost) straight from the source—namely 66 notable residents, who themselves figure into their home turf’s mystique as much as the jazz clubs, restaurants and residences do." -Departures

"...a beguiling collection..." -The New York Times

"It's the most famous "village" in the world, even though it actually is a neighborhood. In this wonderful collection of reminiscences, editor Judith Stonehill features mostly short pieces by architects, artists, designers, musicians, photographers and writers who offer their opinions as to what makes Greenwich Village so special." -Chicago Tribune

"Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories edited by Judith Stonehill in association with the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Contributors to this wonderful pastiche of recollections include Malcolm Gladwell, Simon Doonan, Calvin Trillin, Ed Koch, John Guare and Mario Batali, among many others.” -New York Daily News

"The book's a lovely reminder of the reason so many of us come to New York in the first place." -Refinery29

"Universe has just put out a wonderful book, Greenwich Village Stories, about the endless possibilities and multitude of personalities that have been a part of one of the most fabled neighborhoods in New York City. Traditionally a gathering spot for eccentrics and bohemians, Greenwich Village has lost some of its funkiness over the past few decades as a result of the forces of gentrification. Editor Judith Stonehill assembled several dozen artists, writers, preservationists and people from many other occupations to share their love of The Village — what drew them to it originally, and what about the area still makes it special for them. Augmenting the text are pieces of art, photographs of vanished places (such as the great Bleecker Street Cinema), jazz album covers and other visual ephemera that add up to a beautiful mosaic of Village life and history. It’s a terrific book." -Connecticut Post

“Judith Stonehill, the longtime Village resident and chronicler, has produced a poignant ode to her neighborhood with a book of new essays by the writers, artists, musicians and thinkers who love it to. A tribute to the cultural heritage of her surroundings, the new book is a remarkable array of first-person recollections...” –1stdibs
 
“Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memories edited by Judith Stonehill in association with the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Contributors to this wonderful pastiche of recollections include Malcolm Gladwell, Simon Doonan, Calvin Trillin, Ed Koch, John Guare and Mario Batali, among many others. As the late Lou Reed wrote, “My favorite moments in the Village are always with the beautiful sun drifting away over the Hudson River ... all these golden moments in the Village.” –New York Post

About this edition

• Publisher: Universe
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0789327228
• ISBN 13: 9780789327222
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192
• Editor: Stonehill Judith