In Depth

Recommended Books, Films & Music

Books -- For the definitive history of the birth of New York City to the end of the 19th century, there is no better read than the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, by Edwin R. Burrows and Mike Wallace (Oxford University Press). Another recommended historical look at the growth of New York City, this one told in a breezy narrative tone, is The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History, by Edward Robb Ellis (Kodansha).

Luc Sante's Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York (Vintage Departures) details the bad old days of brothels, drug dens, and gambling saloons in New York in the early 20th century -- it's a lively, fascinating read.

One of master biographer Robert Caro's early works, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (Random House) focuses on how the vision of master dealmaker Robert Moses transformed New York to what it became in the second half of the 20th century.

The 2004-published Downtown, by Pete Hamill (Little Brown & Co.), is as concise a history of the area to the south of Times Square as you will find -- and told in Hamill's typically breezy and gritty style, while Hamill's 2003-novel Forever, chronicles the three centuries of a man who has been given the gift of eternal life as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan. In The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge (Simon & Schuster), author David McCullough devotes his estimable talents to the story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The companion to the PBS Series New York, by Ric Burns, Lisa Ades, and James Sanders (Knopf), uses lavish photographs and illustrations to show the growth of New York City.

My all-time favorite book about New York is a children's classic called This Is New York (Universe Publishing), written and illustrated by M. Sasek in 1960. The book was recently reissued and, with an update added, is as fresh as it was all those years ago.

If the city is looking a little too clean and well scrubbed for you, pick up a copy of the new anthology Manhattan Noir (Akashic Books, 2006).

Films -- There are not many places as cinematic as New York City. Filmmakers sometimes think of the city as a character unto itself. The list of movies in which New York plays a crucial role are too many to mention, but here are some of the top New York City movies that are worth renting before you visit.

Possibly the best New York City promotional film is the musical On the Town, with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, about three sailors with 24 hours' leave spent exploring Gotham. Shot on location, all the landmarks were captured in beautiful Technicolor.

Woody Allen is known as a New York filmmaker and proudly shoots almost all his films in the city. One of his best -- and a good, but maybe a bit dated, look at neurotic New York -- is Annie Hall.

Following in Woody Allen's footsteps are director Rob Reiner and writer Nora Ephron, who made When Harry Met Sally. It's sort of a poor-man's Annie Hall but a gorgeous cinematic tribute to New York. The famous "I'll have what she's having" scene was filmed in Katz's Delicatessen.

"I love this dirty town," says Burt Lancaster in the gritty, crackling Sweet Smell of Success. In the beautifully photographed black-and-white movie, Lancaster plays malicious gossip columnist J. J. Hunsecker, and Tony Curtis is perfectly despicable as the groveling publicist Sidney Falco.

Another filmmaker always identified with New York is Martin Scorsese. He has made many films where New York plays a central role, from Mean Streets to Gangs of New York, which was actually filmed in Italy. But the one film in which New York is a character, and not a very flattering one, is Taxi Driver. The Academy Award-nominated 1976 movie about an alienated and psychotic taxi driver is tough and bloody, but to see images of seedy Times Square as it was before its recent reincarnation, there is no better film.

The best history of New York on video is the Ric Burns documentary New York, which aired on PBS. The seven-disc, 14-hour DVD (also available on VHS) is a must-see for anyone interested in the evolution of this great city.