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Books

Asbury, H, The Gangs of New York, (1928), Thunder’s Mouth Press. Tour through the violence, poverty, crime and corruption of New York’s underbelly in the late 1800. Mixture of fact and fiction.

Auster, P, New York Trilogy, (1994), Penguin. Three dark, thrilling detective novellas combining film noir atmospherics and suspense. Contemporary New York classics.

Capote, T, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, (1958), Penguin/Random House. A compelling depiction of Uptown life in 1940s New York.

Ellis, Bret Easton, American Psycho, (1991), Simon& Schuster. A serial killer prowls the streets and clubs of 1980s Manhattan.

Ellison, Ralph, Invisible Man, (1897), Penguin/Random House. Harlem in the 1950s is the setting for an exploration of black cultural identity.

Fitzgerald, S, The Beautiful and the Damned, (1922), Scribner. A destructive marriage, involving alcoholism and greed, portrays New York nightlife and reckless attempts to achieve material wealth.

James, H, Washington Square, (1881), Penguin. Upper-class New York life is eloquently portrayed in this novel, set just before the Civil War on the northern edge of Washington Square Park.

Jamowitz, T, Slaves of New York, (1986), Pan Books Ltd. Excellent portrayal of the grungy, bohemian life of a struggling artist in New York in the 1980s.

Lethem, J, Motherless Brooklyn, (1999), Vintage. Brooklyn provides the backdrop to this detective story about a loss of innocence and betrayal. Orphan misfits and Tourette’s syndrome are part of the compelling mix.

Morrison, Toni, Jazz, (1992), Alfred A Knopf. Relives the music and excitement of the Harlem Renaissance.

Parker, Dorothy, Complete Stories, (1995), Penguin. Witty and moving tales of New York, many focusing on women.

Salinger, JD, The Catcher in the Rye, (1951), Bantam. Holden Caulfield’s adolescent wanderings around New York.

Selby Jr, Hubert, Last Exit to Brooklyn, (1966), Paladin/Grove Weidenfeld. Disturbingly vivid account of the drugs, sex and violence of 1960s Brooklyn.

Wharton, E, The Age of Innocence (1920), Modern Library. This tragic story of impossible love in upper-class New York is a Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.

Wolfe, T, Bonfire of the Vanities (1987), Bantam. Excellent insight into city life in the 1980s and its racial problems. Wealthy Wall Street bond trader runs down a black man in the Bronx, sparking a trail of mayhem.

Burrows, E and Wallace, M, Gotham, (1998), Oxford University Press. Two volumes cover every inch of New York history from prehistoric days to the end of the 1990s. Written in a lively manner.

Irving, W, A History of New York, (1809). Satirical look at colonial New York, written under the pseudonym of Dietrich Knickerbocker.

Jackson, K, The Encyclopedia of New York City, (1995), Yale University Press. Columbia University historian has amassed this enormous collection of history and titbits presented in dictionary format with photos.

Riis, Jacob, How the Other Half Lives, (1890), Scribner. Shocking account of the poverty in the Lower East Side in the late 1800s. The book, along with Riis’ friendship with Roosevelt, caused the city to rethink the way immigrants were living at the time.

White, N, AIA Guide to New York City, (2000), Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. The most comprehensive architectural book on New York guides readers through every interesting street and alley of all five boroughs.

Films

Film directors are giddy about New York, with many of them using the city as the focus of social and political films. Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Sidney Lumet and Martin Scorsese are only a few of the directors that call the city home.

Annie Hall, Woody Allen, (1977). This New York classic is an Oscar-winning tribute to the city, from childhood in Coney Island to adulthood in Manhattan. Equally notable is Manhattan (1979), shot beautifully in black and white with a Gershwin soundtrack.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Blake Edwards, (1961). Follow Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly as she dawdles over jewels, climbs fire escapes and throws parties on the Upper East Side.

French Connection, William Friedkin, (1971). Epic cop thriller with Gene Hackman and plenty of atmospheric shots of Brooklyn.

The Godfather II, Francis Ford Coppola, (1974). The classic prequel follows Vito Corleone’s immigrant experience in Little Italy.

King Kong, John Guillermin, (1976). Not the first King Kong but this version, starring Jessica Lange, is a highly entertaining romp through New York.

Midnight Cowboy, John Schlesinger, (1969). One man’s journey to make it in the big city is overcome by another man’s struggle in this touching drama.

On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan, (1954). Marlon Brando stars in this epic film of corruption on the docks. Great views of Manhattan.

On the Town, Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, (1949). Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly sing ‘New York, New York’ at the Rockefeller Center in this celluloid musical-comedy.

Out of Towners, Arthur Hiller, (1970). Jack Lemmon’s hilarious attempts to relocate to tough New York.

She’s Gotta Have It, Spike Lee, (1986). A comedy romance that traces a Brooklyn woman experiences dating three men. Possibly Lee’s best film to date.

Smoke, Wayne Wang (1995). Interwoven stories of Brooklyn, scripted by Paul Auster and starring Harvey Keitel as the owner of a cigar store.

Sweet Smell of Success, Alexander Mackendrick, (1957). New York’s most powerful newspaper columnist sets out to ruin a jazz musician. Black and white classic with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. Excellent shots of Times Square.

The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, Joseph Sargent, (1974). Walther Matthau keeps this suspenseful thriller edgy and funny. Perfectly set in New York’s subway.

Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese, (1976). Robert De Niro plays the psychotic East Village cab driver on a self-destructive tour of the city. Wonderful and eerie.

Wall Street, Oliver Stone, (1987). Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas show New York’s 1980s greed at its peak.

The Warriors, Walter Hill, (1979). Considered the best film portrayal of a gang story spanning the Bronx to Coney Island.

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