The History Book Club discussion

This is a thread dedicated to the history, well known people and events associated with the great state of New York.

You may add books that take place in this state, are about this state, have a scene that takes place in this state or have events where this state is mentioned. There is no self promotion on the History Book Club.

The Age of Innocence
FICTION - HISTORICAL

Prolific New York writer Edith Wharton explores the trappings of high society in the Gilded Age, specifically the 1870s, when carriages rode through cobblestone streets and the opera was the place to see and be seen.

by Edith Wharton

Synopsis:

Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s masterful portrait of desire and betrayal during the sumptuous Golden Age of Old New York, a time when society people “dreaded scandal more than disease.”

This is Newland Archer’s world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life—or mercilessly destroy it

LITERARY AWARDS:
Literary AwardsPulitzer Prize for Novel (1921)

SETTING:
New York City, New York, 1870 (United States)
New York City's Upper East Side (United States)

Oh, my, Bentley, this is probably one of Edith Wharton’s best novels. With her usual flair for the New York social whirl (she was after all a participant), she delineates the pitfalls of the Gilded Age’s marriage market. Wharton, along with her friend Henry James, joined the expat community in France (as James did in Britain) in later life, abandoning New York and its gossip.
Regards,
Andrea

by Henry James
by Edith Wharton

Thank you for your post which gives some exceptional information for our members.

The Empire State: A History of New York

by New York State Historical Association (no photo)

Synopsis:

New York now has a new, comprehensive history book that chronicles the state through centuries of change. An illustrated volume, The Empire State begins in the early seventeenth century (when the region was still populated solely by Native Americans) and concludes at the year 2000, by which time people from all over the world had made the state their home. Throughout the book, politics, economics, culture, and social history all are emphasized, as are contributions made by ethnic groups and women.
The Empire State serves as a successor to A History of New York State, for many years the standard one-volume account of the region but today outdated and long out of print. Now students, scholars, and history enthusiasts will find thorough and fascinating coverage in The Empire State.