New York Classics – serie

A classic guide to the history and architecture of the historic manors and homes of the Hudson River ValleyHarold Donaldson Eberlein's The Manors and Historic Homes of the Hudson Valley has been considered an essential and elegant resource ever since its first publication by J.B. Lippincott in 1924. Profusely illustrated with drawings, classic prints, and photographs (many of the latter taken by the author himself), the book not only discusses the architecture and beauty of more than thirty-five historically relevant estates and homesteads, but also contextualizes their varied histories amid key social and political disruptions, ranging from the rise of the Dutch through to the American Revolution and the heyday of the patroonships overseen by such families as the Livingstons, the Van Rensselaers, and the Van Cortlandts. Eberlein saw the old manors and historic homes of the Hudson Valley as vital signposts to that history of the region- a history "inseparably bound up with the old houses that stand upon both banks of the river, and [a history which] without them … would lose its dramatic force and become a dull, dead abstraction." This new edition features an introduction by historian Ed Renehan who sets the work in the context of its time, and many new photographs. This book is an indispensable resources for those interested in New York state history and the stories behind some of its best-loved homes.

This work spans 30 years and reaches from Niagara Falls to Montauk Point. It consists of folklore, character sketches, ghost stories and pieces of regional history. Special attention is given to the fate of Native Americans and the erosion of the State's natural beauty.

This memoir celebrates the Sicilian life in America, while providing a sociological portrait of the immigrant experience in the US. The author reminisces about his experience as a fledgeling writer trying to escape from the restrictive Italian American culture in which he grew up.

In simple, darkly faceted stories, Philander Deming demonstrates a sense of the Adirondacks' possibility for human tragedy. The mountains, seemingly a neutral backdrop against which individuals confront a collective morality, are the source of his inspiration, creating a haunting vision.

This narrative poem, a combination of science fiction and psychological fantasy, is aimed at people of all ages, and was dramatized on radio and television in the 1960s. After a power cut in the middle of the night, the village of Saugersville finds itself alone in the world.

Blake McKelvey has updated this new edition on Rochester at 150 years old, adding fresh material about its changing economy, rejuvenated downtown, and current housing and educational programs. He also includes informed and thought-provoking projections about the city's future.

Classic works by naturalist John Burroughs on his beloved Catskill region.Henry James called John Burroughs (1837–1921) "a more humorous, more available, and more sociable Thoreau." Walt Whitman in turn extolled Burroughs as "a child of the woods, fields, hills-native to them in a rare sense (in a sense almost a miracle)." Throughout his many books and essays, Burroughs was never more eloquent on nature themes than when writing about his native countryside: the woods, streams, and mountains of the Catskills in New York. In the Catskills collects the very best of Burroughs's writings about his birthplace in a book that is sure to be treasured by all lovers of the region as well as lovers of the literature of nature. This new edition includes an introduction by Burroughs biographer Edward Renehan and an additional work not included in previous editions, entitled My Boyhood.

Chronicles the creation of a picturesque home and landscape on the Hudson River by one of the nineteenth century's leading authors.During the 1850s and '60s, by far the most prominent author in all of New York State was the writer, editor, and publisher Nathaniel Parker Willis (1806–1867). Nearly as prominent as Willis himself was his Hudson Valley estate, Idlewild, where literary elites gathered and about which Willis himself wrote and published extensively. In 1846, Willis founded the Home Journal, which would go on to become Town and Country. In Out-Doors at Idlewild, first published in 1855, Willis chronicled the creation of his estate at Cornwall-on-Hudson (near West Point), as well as life amid its countryside. The land afforded brilliant views of the river and the mountains to the East. Calvert Vaux, the famed architect of both landscapes and houses, designed the elaborate and ornate Gothic Revival home, which Willis named Idlewood (whereas he called the estate Idlewild), and into which the Willis family moved in July of 1853. Here, Willis wrote a series of papers for the Home Journal documenting life at the seventy-acre estate. These papers were gathered together in Out-Doors at Idlewild, a celebration of Willis's home and estate.

A county history book that includes town histories, biographical sketches, and lithographs of pioneers and homesteads, as well as their Civil War military service.Originally published by F.W. Beers & Company in 1880, History of Wyoming County, N.Y. is still one of the most referenced histories of the county. Exploring Wyoming County pre-formation, the book also delves into the history of sixteen towns and their prominent residents and records residents' Civil War service.Officially named a county in 1841, this southwestern farming county of New York State is the home of several New York landmarks, including Letchworth State Park, Middlebury Academy (listed on the National Register of Historic Places), and Attica Prison. Notable Wyoming County residents have included Josiah Andrews (an abolitionist newspaper owner), Mary Jemison (the "White Woman of the Genesee" who lived among the Seneca), Barber Conable (former President of the World Bank Group and US Congressman from New York), Chester A. Arthur (the twenty-first President of the United States), Ella Hawley Crossett (former President of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association), Lemuel M. Wiles (American landscape painter), and Charlotte Smallwood-Cook (the first woman elected district attorney in New York State). Newly released by SUNY Press with an introduction by Cindy Amrhein, Wyoming County Historian, History of Wyoming County, N.Y. offers a fascinating and comprehensive reference work that is useful to family and local historians, genealogists, and those interested in the development and history of New York State.

A county history book that includes town histories, biographical sketches, and lithographs of pioneers and homesteads, as well as their Civil War military service.Originally published by F.W. Beers & Company in 1880, History of Wyoming County, N.Y. is still one of the most referenced histories of the county. Exploring Wyoming County pre-formation, the book also delves into the history of sixteen towns and their prominent residents and records residents' Civil War service.Officially named a county in 1841, this southwestern farming county of New York State is the home of several New York landmarks, including Letchworth State Park, Middlebury Academy (listed on the National Register of Historic Places), and Attica Prison. Notable Wyoming County residents have included Josiah Andrews (an abolitionist newspaper owner), Mary Jemison (the "White Woman of the Genesee" who lived among the Seneca), Barber Conable (former President of the World Bank Group and US Congressman from New York), Chester A. Arthur (the twenty-first President of the United States), Ella Hawley Crossett (former President of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association), Lemuel M. Wiles (American landscape painter), and Charlotte Smallwood-Cook (the first woman elected district attorney in New York State). Newly released by SUNY Press with an introduction by Cindy Amrhein, Wyoming County Historian, History of Wyoming County, N.Y. offers a fascinating and comprehensive reference work that is useful to family and local historians, genealogists, and those interested in the development and history of New York State.

The first and best biography of this pioneering comic duo and Broadway Stars—in a new edition!Joe Weber and Lew Fields were the dominant musical comedy team at the turn of the last century. They created classic comedic characters and routines and formed their own theatrical troupe, running a theater in New York for many years where they produced successful revues that combined music, dance, and song. So famous were they in their time that they inspired a full-length biography by a major publisher.Weber and Fields follows the duo from their childhood on New York's rough-and-tumble Lower East Side to the creation of their best-known characters, the Dutch knockabout comedians Mike and Myer, and continues with the opening of their own theater in 1896 (with landmark productions through 1904) to their reunion in 1912. This new edition brings an out-of-print classic to a new generation of theater loves. A new introduction by Ken Bloom carries the story through the rest of their careers, showing how Weber and Fields set the stage for comic duos that followed, including Mutt and Jeff of comic book fame, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Rowan and Martin, and countless others.

The best of W.H.H. Murray's 19th century Adirondack stories, selected by Murray's biographer and great, great grandson, Randall S. BeachWilliam Henry Harrison Murray ("Adirondack Murray") is known as the father of the outdoor movement in America and the modern vacation. A passionate advocate for the wilderness and, specifically, the Adirondacks in New York State, Murray was the author of numerous books from the 1860s until his death in the early twentieth century. Many of his books and short stories focused on the Adirondacks and the importance of human interaction with nature. For the first time, The Best of the Adirondack Tales gathers his best and most beloved stories, drawn from many sources and selected by Murray's biographer and great-great grandson, Randall S. Beach. Among the favorites included: "The Freemasonry of Outdoor Life," "Jack Shooting in a Foggy Night," "The Story that the Keg Told Me," "Henry Herbert's Thanksgiving," and "How John Norton the Trapper Kept His Christmas."

A classic work on the history of New York City written by one of America's greatest politicians.Theodore Roosevelt's New York, published in 1891, was one of forty titles he authored during his lifetime. Roosevelt sets out, as he declares in his preface, "to trace the causes which gradually changed a little Dutch trading-hamlet into a huge American city." New York admirably accomplishes this objective. Proceeding chronologically, Roosevelt maintains control of his concise narrative throughout, recounting events clearly while continually providing well-considered and enlightening analysis. In suitable places-without disrupting the narrative-Roosevelt offers the reader his perspectives on a variety of broader topics, including his admiration for leaders who combine boldness with wisdom and moderation and his perceptive outlook on the frequent lack of connection between wealth accumulation and good character and meaningful living. While Roosevelt's own time as an exemplary top-level "man in the arena" was still years away, in this revealing and engaging book about his native city by a historian then in his early thirties, there are glimpses of the mindset and temperament of the world-historical leader who was to preside over the government of the United States from 1901 to 1909-yet another reason why Roosevelt's classic book New York remains well worth reading.

The complete history of one of New York State's—and the nation's—founding families.The Livingstons of Livingston Manor provides a rich history of one of the most important families in the early history of New York State as well as the fledgling nation. Livingston Manor-granted to Robert Livingston the Elder (1654–1728) via royal charter from King George I of Britain in 1716-embraced 160,000 acres, including nearly all of what is today Columbia County as well as much of Sullivan and Delaware Counties. The primary family estate in Germantown, NY, where the leaders of the clan lived for more than two hundred years starting in 1728, Clermont on the Hudson River, is now a New York State Historic Site. Succeeding generations included "Chancellor" Robert R. Livingston (1746–1813) who served on the famed "Committee of Five" charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence. Other members of the clan also played major roles in New York State as well as nationally. Philip Livingston (1716–1778, known in the family as "Philip the Signer") was a delegate to the Continental Congress from New York and signed the Declaration of Independence; William Livingston (1723–1798) was a Delegate to the Constitutional Convention and a signatory to the US Constitution. Descendants of the Livingstons include the Bush clan, Eleanor Roosevelt (through her mother), and former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean. First privately published in 1910, this long-unavailable history illuminates several generations of the Livingston clan and their impact on the fledgling and growing United States.