Library Journal
The undisputed fulcrum of America's literary activity, New York City has long nurtured the creative spirit of American letters, and this discerning biographical/descriptive guidebook covers the writers, bars, buildings, bookstores, and neighborhoods bubbling away in New York's literary cauldron. Opening with New York's beginnings as a Dutch colony, the concise text briefly summarizes the life and work of writers, both native New Yorkers and others who achieved fame there. In alphabetical order, the book ranges from Auchincloss to Zudofsky, covering not only the city's writers but its publishers, agents, magazines, bookstores, libraries, neighborhoods, institutions, and a miscellany of other information, including selected postal addresses. Droll and sharp, Corbett (Furthering My Education, LJ 4/15/97) takes us on a leisurely stroll through four centuries of publishing and creativity.Richard K. Burns, Hatboro, PA
Historic Traveler
ôJohn Jay ChapmanÆs observation that æThe present in New York is so powerful that the past s lostÆ serves as an ironic epigraph to this hefty chronicle of the writers and agents, publishers and bookstores, institutions and landmarks associated with New York CityÆs rich literary heritage. More reference work than conventional guide, the book contains a wealth of information and anecdote that students of the city and travelers planning a literary-themed visit to New York will find usefulà.The best entries evoke the relationship between individual writers and the city and provide summaries of the various literary movements born or nourished in New York: the Harlem Renaissance, for example, and the Beats. A highlight of the entries is the sampler of quotes about New York. Whether loving or scornful, they add to the complex portrait of the city as both literary muse and demon. In either case, thanks to Corbett, we can celebrate a national heritage preserved, not lost.ö
