New York Intellect: A History of Intellectual Life in New York City, from 1750 to the Beginnings of Our Own Time

Focuses on the changing definitions of intellectual life in New York City, discussing how the aspirations for the European pattern of intellectual life and the historical and sociological conditions of the city produced a distinctive cultural formation

"There is nothing new in New York: everybody is driving after money as usual," wrote Samuel F.B. Morse to James Fenimore Cooper. Yet Morseinventor, painter and arts organizerexemplified what Bender calls the city's "literary culture," which democratically modeled itself on Paris. The author, a New York University professor, identifies two other distinct subcultures in the pageant of the city's intellectual history. The earliest, which harked back to Edinburgh, brought together men of letters, businessmen and professionals in organizations like the Friendly Club. After the Civil War, an "academic culture" modeled itself on the German research university. Bender's theme is the role of intellect in shaping a pluralistic society, and he carries his story through the postwar era when New York City, as an international capital of culture, went from being a mere importer of modernism to a crucible of change.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This ambitious undertaking attempts to chart the intellectual development of New York City from its modest colonial origins to its 20th-century flowering as a unique world center for arts, ideas, culture, and creativity. Though numerous bits and pieces of New York's journey towards intellectual ascendancy are commonly known, Bender (History, NYU) does far more than merely list and describe the thousands of institutions and individuals involved in that journey. He skillfully analyzes the intersection of social, political, and economic factors as they shaped the intellectual life of the city over time. All except the tiniest public and academic libraries will wish to acquire this important title. Mark R. Yerburgh, Trinity Coll. Lib., Burlington, Vt.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.