Fifth Avenue : The Best Address

Rating:
Summary: New York Nostalgia
Review: Fifth Avenue is a chronological social history of the rich and famous in New York. Following the gradual progression north, this prestigious street influenced the rest of the city developing around it. You will recognize many illustrious personalities and interesting details of their lives but mostly it tells where everyone lived and who bought estates from whom and who ended up the current owner. Excellent black and white photographs, ranging from a third of a page to a full page, of many of the buildings are included. The seven chapters are divided by area, starting at the southern most point with the Village, progressing north, ending at above Central Park. Each picture is accompanied by information including the owner, the address and architect. A big drawback is the lack of maps. I pulled out my Dorling Kindersley Travel Guide to New York to better understand where all these houses were located. Because the intention is to equally cover all sections, it becomes a bit tedious reading through property after property. The anecdotes are brief and move quickly to the next house and development. Another focus is on the architects who were influential at the time and of course commissioned for these finest buildings of New York.

But if you are seeking a more indepth book on New York's architecture, there are better choices. For instance "The Architectural Guidebook to New York City" by James Iska or "New York : A guide to the Metropolis, Walking Tours of Architecture and History" by Gerard R. Wolfe, and my favourite is the above mentioned DK guide with its cutaways and floor plans, 3-D aerial views and photographs of a myriad of sites all with just enough description.

Patterson's book is more of a 'gift book' with its hard cover, larger pages of 10" x 8" and picturesque photographs. The other two books provide clear photographs but they are more for quick reference. None of these books has a picture for each building mentioned. "Fifth Avenue" gives a light history focusing on the highlights and general trends rather than accomodating a walking tour or being encyclopedic. As we have come to expect from Rizzoli, it is a beautifully laid out display book perfect as a gift or keepsake.