New york chronology, the

For a city like no other comes a book like no other. 'The New York Chronology' tells the epic story of how a remote trading outpost and fishing village grew into the 'world's capital' as we know it today. In tens of thousands of chronological entries, James Trager marches year by year through both the defining and incidental moments in the city's history from the arrival of Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524 to the sad closing of Ratner's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side 'after 97 years of serving blintzes, kasha, latkes, and matzoh brei'. Of course, New Yorkers themselves hold center stage, and 'The New York Chronology' is loaded with eye-opening and colorful stories about its famous, infamous, and long-forgotten inhabitants. From society events and publicity stunts to scandals and murders, here are scores of offbeat tidbits that you simply won't find in a more conventional history. Handsomely illustrated with more than 130 photographs and drawings, it is an entertaining and essential book for New York lovers - a homage as grand as the city itself.