New York books, and why each one is here

Reading lists

• Reading list · 10 books New York history: where to start Books that cover the city from the Dutch settlement to the present, from one-volume histories to a reference shelf. See the list
• Reading list · 10 books Dutch and colonial New York Books on New Amsterdam, slavery in the colony, the Stamp Act, the Revolution and the first president in the city. See the list
• Reading list · 7 books The Gilded Age and Tammany Hall Books on Boss Tweed, machine politics, the Draft Riots and the tenements, from the Civil War to consolidation. See the list
• Reading list · 7 books Immigrant New York Books on who arrived, where they lived and how they worked, from Five Points to Ellis Island. See the list
• Reading list · 13 books How the city was built Books on the bridges, aqueducts, subways, skyscrapers and parks, and the people who paid for and planned them. See the list
• Reading list · 13 books Crisis and comeback Books on the fiscal crisis, the fires, the crime decline, September 11 and the years of rebuilding. See the list
• Reading list · 10 books Crime and the mob Books on the Mafia, corruption in the police department, Prohibition and the crime decline. See the list
• Reading list · 13 books Civil rights and LGBTQ New York Books on Harlem, school integration, the Stonewall uprising and the AIDS activists of ACT UP. See the list
• Reading list · 12 books How New York is governed Books on how City Hall, Albany, housing, land use and street policy work, and how they got that way. See the list
• Reading list · 12 books New York for kids Picture books, novels and histories set in the city, for readers from about four to twelve. See the list

Gift guides

• Gift guide · 11 books Gifts for New Yorkers Books to give someone who lives here or misses it: essays, memoirs, novels, photographs and a guide. See the list

The book on each era

The histories and biographies behind our timeline of the city.

• Lenapehoking & New Amsterdam The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto Mannahatta by Eric W. Sanderson New Netherland and the Dutch Origins of American Religious Liberty by Evan Haefeli Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Colonial City & the Revolution Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace New York Burning by Jill Lepore 1776 by David McCullough Forgotten Patriots by Edwin G. Burrows
• The Empire City Rises Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace Wedding of the Waters by Peter L. Bernstein Five Points by Tyler Anbinder The Greatest Grid by Hilary Ballon
• War, Machine & Bridge The Great Bridge by David McCullough How the Other Half Lives by Jacob A. Riis
• The Modern Metropolis Greater Gotham by Mike Wallace 722 Miles by Clifton Hood Triangle by David Von Drehle When Harlem Was in Vogue by David Levering Lewis
• Crisis & Reinvention The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro Fear City by Kim Phillips-Fein Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning by Jonathan Mahler Can't Stop Won't Stop by Jeff Chang
• Comeback & the 21st Century The City That Became Safe by Franklin E. Zimring 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn Superstorm by Kathryn Miles High Line by Joshua David and Robert Hammond

The book on each story

Where to go after one of our history articles, for the whole story.

• The "Purchase" of Manhattan The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto Mannahatta by Eric W. Sanderson Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Erie Canal Wedding of the Waters by Peter L. Bernstein Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Draft Riots The New York City Draft Riots by Iver Bernstein In the Shadow of Slavery by Leslie M. Harris Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Brooklyn Bridge The Great Bridge by David McCullough
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Triangle by David Von Drehle The Triangle Fire by Leon Stein Greater Gotham by Mike Wallace
• The Stonewall Uprising Stonewall by David Carter Stonewall by Martin Duberman The Stonewall Riots by Marc Stein Gay New York by George Chauncey
• The 1975 Fiscal Crisis Fear City by Kim Phillips-Fein The Fires by Joe Flood Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning by Jonathan Mahler
• The Trial of John Peter Zenger Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• Central Park and Seneca Village The Park and the People by Roy Rosenzweig and Elizabeth Blackmar A Clearing in the Distance by Witold Rybczynski
• The Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty by Edward Berenson
• The First Subway 722 Miles by Clifton Hood Tunneling to the Future by Peter Derrick Greater Gotham by Mike Wallace
• The Harlem Renaissance When Harlem Was in Vogue by David Levering Lewis Black Manhattan by James Weldon Johnson Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto by Gilbert Osofsky
• The Birth of Hip-Hop Can't Stop Won't Stop by Jeff Chang
• September 11, 2001 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn City in the Sky by James Glanz and Eric Lipton Sixteen Acres by Philip Nobel The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
• The Flushing Remonstrance New Netherland and the Dutch Origins of American Religious Liberty by Evan Haefeli The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto
• The 1741 "Conspiracy" Trials New York Burning by Jill Lepore In the Shadow of Slavery by Leslie M. Harris Slavery in New York by Ira Berlin and Leslie M. Harris
• Boss Tweed and the Tammany Ring Machine Made by Terry Golway Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• Ellis Island American Passage by Vincent J. Cannato City of Dreams by Tyler Anbinder
• The Empire State Building The Empire State Building by John Tauranac Higher by Neal Bascomb
• The Blackout of 1977 Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning by Jonathan Mahler
• The AIDS Crisis and ACT UP How to Survive a Plague by David France Let the Record Show by Sarah Schulman And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
• The Five Points Five Points by Tyler Anbinder City of Dreams by Tyler Anbinder Low Life by Luc Sante
• Washington’s Inauguration at Federal Hall Washington by Ron Chernow Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Birth of Greater New York Greater Gotham by Mike Wallace Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The General Slocum Disaster Ship Ablaze by Edward T. O'Donnell
• Robert Moses, the Master Builder The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro Robert Moses and the Modern City by Hilary Ballon and Kenneth T. Jackson Wrestling with Moses by Anthony Flint
• Hurricane Sandy Superstorm by Kathryn Miles
• The Crash of 1929 The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith Once in Golconda by John Brooks
• Prohibition in New York Last Call by Daniel Okrent Dry Manhattan by Michael A. Lerner
• Grand Central Terminal Grand Central by Sam Roberts
• The Five Families The Five Families by Selwyn Raab Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi
• The High Line High Line by Joshua David and Robert Hammond
• The Stamp Act The Stamp Act Crisis by Edmund S. Morgan and Helen M. Morgan Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Prison Ships Forgotten Patriots by Edwin G. Burrows
• New Amsterdam Becomes New York The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Croton Aqueduct Water for Gotham by Gerard T. Koeppel Empire of Water by David Soll Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Commissioners’ Grid The Greatest Grid by Hilary Ballon Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Deadliest Year The City That Became Safe by Franklin E. Zimring Turnaround by William Bratton and Peter Knobler
• Kieft’s War The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Wall of Wall Street The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Battle of Brooklyn 1776 by David McCullough Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The COVID Shutdown The Desperate Hours by Marie Brenner Every Minute Is a Day by Robert Meyer and Dan Koeppel Riding the Lightning by Anthony Almojera
• Half-freedom in New Amsterdam In the Shadow of Slavery by Leslie M. Harris Slavery in New York by Ira Berlin and Leslie M. Harris The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto
• The 1712 New York slave revolt In the Shadow of Slavery by Leslie M. Harris Slavery in New York by Ira Berlin and Leslie M. Harris Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• The Great Fire of 1835 Gotham by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace
• Jacob Riis and the Tenement House Act How the Other Half Lives by Jacob A. Riis
• The Ocean Hill-Brownsville strikes The Strike That Changed New York by Jerald E. Podair Knocking at Our Own Door by Clarence Taylor
• The Central Park Five The Central Park Five by Sarah Burns