New York: Tales of the Empire State

by Frank Oppel (Compiler)

Book by

Genres: History

480 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1988

Reviews

[Phil Bayly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some fascinating tidbits in this history of New York State. Magazine articles from the 1850s to 1909 have been compiled to provide old insights into the shores of the Hudson River (Henry Hudson was paid 800 guilders, about $320, for his famous voyage), the Adirondacks, the Catskills and their older communities.
It is interesting, in itself, to read what was important to the beholder in years before the Civil War, before World Wars I and II. Different things were important then, different references stood out.
In truth, some of the stories grow stale. They're written in an old leisurely style. But, there is a guided tour of downtown Albany by a man who was born there in the 1780s and has a marvelous memory. Tales of the Helderberg Mountains recall the old Indian ladder used to scramble up a steep face. And there is an impassioned plea to preserve the environment and Adirondack Park. It was written in 1885.
Sometimes the writers' pace grows slow, but I must have a dozen tags stuck in the pages, marking things they told me that I don't want to forget.