Upper West Side Story: A History and Guide

by Peter Salwen

NEWLY AVAILABLE BY POPULAR DEMAND. First published in 1989, this beloved book is the definitive account of one of New York City's most fascinating and diverse neighborhoods, Manhattan's Upper West Side, from the Colonial era and the Revolution -- when George Washington fought the British in the Battle of Harlem Heights -- through the 19th century, when small villages dotted the rustic landscape, to the ups and downs of boom and bust, development and decline, and ultimate rebirth as New York's favorite place to dine and dwell. In "Upper West Side Story" you'll meet a host of America's most fascinating authors (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Theodore Dreiser, Jack Kerouac, J.D. Salinger), actors (Lillian Russell, Marie Dressler, Humphrey Bogart, James Dean), composers (George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers), and criminals (Dutch Schultz, Frank Costello, and Willie Sutton, who would recall the heist at an Upper West Side bank as "one of the robberies I most enjoyed"), and one-of-a-kind characters (such as Diamond Jim Brady, Polly Adler, and Edward "Daddy" Browning and his child-bride "Peaches"). Above all, this book evokes a special place, where the gracious architecture of a bygone era forms the backdrop to today's ever-shifting social and intellectual scene. "Upper West Side Story" fills in the missing pieces, enriching the physical streetscape with three centuries' worth of intriguing and unexpected incidents and personalities.

Genres: New York, History

376 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I delightfully entertaining and informative history of the Manhattan neighborhood.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

My old neighborhood. How I miss it.

Most local histories are poorly written, this is most definitely not. A wonderful, expansive book.

[Jorge Camuñas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any New Yorker! Great stories about the places you visit every day!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting reading for anyone who lives in the neighborhood. Probably insanely boring for anyone who doesn't.