Book reviewed: New York in the thirties, by Bernice Abbott

Book reviewed: New York in the thirties, by Bernice Abbott

A pictorial history of Manhattan

This is an interesting book that documents the history of Manhattan through black and white pictures. Most pictures printed in this book are between 1935 and 1938. It is by no means an exhaustive work but it should be of interest for casual readers interested in the history of New York City. The financial district, New York harbor, East River, the Lower East Side and Fifth Avenue is prominently illustrated. Most notable parts of the city missing in this book are the Time Square and Central Park. However there are several photographs that are worth looking at, which includes; a 1938 aerial picture looking-down on Broadway from Wall Street to Battery Park; a 1938 aerial photograph of the Wall Street; the 1937 picture of Brooklyn Bridge with pier 21; a 1936 picture of Metropolitan Elevated Railway Company’s Lines at Second and the Third Avenue; a 1937 picture of Hester Street chicken market; the 1936 picture of Washington Square looking North (this is my favorite photograph in this book); a 1935 photograph of 32 Street and Third Avenue showing a street newspaper vendor; there are more than one hundred magazines on display in this photograph and the covers of many of magazine shows movie stars of the day that include; Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, and Claudette Colbert.