Greenwich Village : A Guide To America's Legendary Left Bank

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite and Excellent
Review: "Exquisite" is not a word one often gets to use about a book, but GREENWICH VILLAGE: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S LEGENDARY LEFT BANK truly is an exquisite little gem of a book.

Obviously, books are bought only by people with an interest in their subjects, whatever that subject may be. Thus, I purchased this book due to my affection for New York City and, specifically, for the neighborhood which is featured. Before I read this GUIDE, I had thought that I had a fairly thorough knowledge of Greenwich Village--and, actually, according to this volume, I do know quite a bit. Yet my own knowledge is but a small fraction of the information that author Judith Stonehill presents.

Without question, Greenwich Village is the most fascinating corner of a fascinating city. Its history goes back to the earliest colonial times, and its impact extends right into the present. Stonehill covers all of the Village's incarnations, from the time that Washington Square was "the" address for the Knickerbockers, those worthy Dutch burghers, through the creative energy of the late 19th Century, right up to today.

Like the city for which it started as a suburb, and of which it became an integral part, Greenwich Village has led many lives. In four separate tours, Stonehill covers all of them.

According to my search on Amazon.com, this is the only book of walking tours to focus exclusively on Greenwich Village. The small size of the book makes it perfect to tuck into a pocket or a purse when one sets out on a walk--though, to be fair, this small size requires the use of such a tiny typeface that the book can be difficult to read without magnifying glasses.

Nonetheless, this work is excellent as to its concept, its scope and its execution--and the artwork and photographs chosen for illustration are, indeed, exquisite.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully done.
Review: Having planned a trip to NYC for the first time, I wanted to use a different guidebook that would give me a historical perspective with walking tours. I found it in this beautiful book. It made my trip to NYC a most memorable one. I highly recommend this book to anyone travelling to NY who wishes to learn more about this great city's history.

Rating:
Summary: What an amazing journey
Review: I am giving it to everyone I know as a Christmas present. Since I grew up in the village, it is a joy to be able to share the rich history of my hometown.

Rating:
Summary: A Greenwich Village Classic
Review: I couldn't stop reading this book! It's funny, smart, full of surprises and as beautiful as any book I've seen this year. It's like a box of candy -- almost impossible to put down, easy to pick up again, and delicious wherever your fingers happen to land.

Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous Gift
Review: Ms. Stonehill's book has opened my eyes to this wonderful neighborhood. At first glance, the book appears as a quick read, yet the amount of detail and research that has gone into this small book is astounding. Over the years, I have spent much free hours walking about Greenwich Village, but now with the book in hand, I have come to appreciate this historic neighborhood even more. This Holiday Season, many of my friends will be getting a copy of this fabulous gift.

Rating:
Summary: A great guide to a great neighborhood.
Review: Originally, Greenwich Village was settled by the rich and merchant class of lower Manhattan as an escape from the recurring ravages of yellow fever and cholera. For this reason Greenwich Village was, essentially, never really mapped out; never really settled in accordance to any public plan. Perhaps this haphazard beginning is what gave the area its combined refined yet anarchic flavor that exists until this day.

And this was also the reason for the area becoming attractive to free-thinkers and artists, which is the focus of the valuable book, "Greenwich Village: A Guide to America's Legendary Left Bank" by Judith Stonehill. Complete with maps, illustrations and a walking tour of the four sections which make up Greenwich Village, the guide reveals the extraordinary number of famous artists, writers, performers, etc who made the place their homes. Artist Edward Hopper, poet Walt Whitman, playwright Eugene O'Neill, and novelist Willa Cather, are just a few of the famous names who lived and created work here. But more important, as the subtitle to this guide suggests, they created something uniquely American.

"Greenwich Village: A Guide to America's Legendary Left Bank" is a great book for people who will visit the village, and is great for New Yorkers, themselves, to learn about this neighborhood that they thought they knew so well.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

Rating:
Summary: A delightful work
Review: The Editorial Review informs us that Judith Stonehill was co-owner of New York Bound Bookshop. To think of New York Bound Books as a bookstore is to think of Disneyworld as a giftshop: It was so much much more than a bookstore. It had everything about New York, from post cards, to maps, to photographs to books. So Judith didn't just co-own a 'bookstore', it was a candy store for addicted NYers.

Her book: What hasn't been said about Greenwich Village? Probably very little, but it doesn't matter: There have been hundreds of books on Greenwich Village with hundreds more to come, each with its own unique perspective.

What she does so wonderfully is to point out those things you may well have not noticed. See, while it is impossible to know everything about The Village, this book makes you want to know more. And that is the most worthy goal of all.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book about my favorite part of New York
Review: This book is a beautiful and well written guide to my favorite area of New York. An excellent read for anyone who enjoys the village.