The Unfinished City: New York and the Metropolitan Idea Contributor(s): Bender, Thomas (Author) |
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ISBN: 0814799965 ISBN-13: 9780814799963 Publisher: New York University Press
Binding Type: Paperback Published: September 2007 Annotation: Bender has an omnivorous intellect, and, whether hes writing about Thomas Edison, the history of Washington Square, or modernist conceptions of the city, he has a knack for finding the telling anecdote and putting it in context. . . . This is a nuanced, convincing history, attuned to the difficulties and pleasures of city living. --"The New Yorker" Benders essays are deeply engaged and committed to his project of reasserting a general public role for historians. . . . Many of the most arresting observations in this book derive, however, from close reading of particulars, notably the physical particulars and artistic representations of selected bits of New York City streetscape and architecture. One of the strengths of this book is the way it uses photographs and illustrations as integral parts of the argument. . . . A learned, thoughtful, and incisive analysis of metropolitan culture. Throughout American history, cities have been a powerful source of inspiration and energy, nourishing the spirit of invention and the world of intellect, and fueling movements for innovation and reform. In The Unfinished City, nationally renowned urban scholar Thomas Bender examines the source of Manhattans influence over American life. The Unfinished City traces the history of New York from its humble regional beginnings to its present global eminence. Bender contends that the city took shape not only according to the grand designs of urban planners and business tycoons, but also in response to a welter of artistic visions, intellectual projects, and everyday demands of the millions of people who made the cityhome. Benders story of urban development ranges from the streets of Times Square to the workshops of Thomas Edison, from the paintings of Georgia OKeeffe to the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. In a tour that spans neighborhoods and centuries, The Unfinished City makes a powerful case for the enduring importance of cities in American life. For anyone who loves New York or values the limitless possibilities intrinsic in all cities, this book is an unparalleled guide to Manhattans past and present. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic (dc, De, Md, Nj, Ny, Pa) |
Dewey: 974.71 |
Physical Information: 0.71" H x 6.44" W x 7.97" L (0.84 lbs) 287 pages |
Themes: - Locality - New York, N.Y. - Geographic Orientation - New York - Demographic Orientation - Urban |
Features: Bibliography, Index, Table of Contents |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Throughout American history, cities have been a powerful source of inspiration and energy, nourishing the spirit of invention and the world of intellect, and fueling movements for innovation and reform. In The Unfinished City, nationally renowned urban scholar Thomas Bender examines the source of Manhattan's influence over American life. |
Contributor Bio(s): Bender, Thomas: - Thomas Bender is University Professor of the Humanities and Professor of History at New York University. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History. |
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