Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery: New York's Buried Treasure

by Jeffrey I. Richman

Book by Jeffrey I. Richman

Genres: Nonfiction

241 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 1998

Reviews

[amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a short introduction describing the history of Greenwood cemetery in the context of the development of Brookyln and Manhattan as well as in the context of the history of cemetery design in general. The majority of the book is a series of well-chosen anecdotes about the various interesting residents of the cemetery; the guy who invented the hot dog, the actress at Ford theatre who held Lincoln in her arms right after he was shot; the guy who originally penned "Peter Piper picked a peck..." etc. It also gives short bios of some of the more famous residents such as Leonard Bernstein, Basquiat, Boss Tweed etc. There is a corresponding map that is well-organized for locating the graves.
The book itself is well-designed/laid out. The pictures and illustrations are carefeully chosen and of good quality.
This has provided me a good way to start exploring the cemetery on foot since I live nearby.

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 19th century, the two greatest tourist attractions in North America were Niagara Falls and Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery. This well-researched and fully illustrated coffee table book will make you feel that you are there.

And what a place it is! Green-Wood is the final home of Samuel Morse, Leonard Bernstein, Jean Michel Basquiat, Boss Tweed, Currier and Ives, F.A.O. Schwartz, Louis Comfort Tiffany, as well as spiritualists, artists, soldiers, silent film stars, Native Americans, sports heroes, and even Frank Morgan, the Wizard of Oz. Paging through this book, you can pay your respects and visit their graves, but it would be wonderful to join one of Green-Wood's guided tours and see the place for yourself.

Until you can get there in person, this fascinating and comprehensively illustrated book will whet your appetite.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So detailed, so many wonderful stories about the people that are buried there...it was like a two hundred year history of the people of Brooklyn.