December, 2010

Books That Make Welcomed Holiday Gifts

CitiesandCulture recommends several books that would make welcomed holiday gifts.

In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story

Author: David McCullough; Publisher: Shadow Mountain; Hardback, 42 pages; $19.99

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill traveled to meet with President Franklin D. Roosevelt during one of the bleakest times in modern history. Just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Churchill and Roosevelt met privately on Christmas Eve. Later that evening, from the balcony of the White House at the lighting of the national Christmas tree, the two leaders delivered a powerful message to an anxious crowd – a message that uplifted an entire nation during a time of great uncertainty.

McCullough tells a powerful story about the spirit of Christmas and the power of light to shine in difficult, dangerous times. But he  also wraps into this historic account the story of two classic Christmas carols and how music so profoundly affects our souls and our day.  He recounts that the two world leaders, while attending a church service, sang a song Churchill had never before heard, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."  The song's first stanza surprisingly mirrored the words Churchill spoke the previous night, "Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light."

Additionally, he tells how, in 1942, with more than one million Americans serving overseas, two New Yorkers gave the country hope with "I'll Be Home for Christmas." Recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943, the song expressed the longing for home and light in the darkness felt by so many.

In the Dark Streets Shineth, adapted from a live performance of McCullough with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, includes the full texts of both Churchill's and Roosevelt's speeches, along with historic photographs transporting readers to the early days of World War II and a DVD of McCullough's 2009 performance with the Choir.

Available in bookstores and on line.

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Caribbean Hideaways: Discovering Enchanting Rooms And Private Villas

Author: Meg Nolan Van Reesema; Photographer Jessica Antola;, Publisher Rizzoli International; Hard cover, 208 pages; $50

Featuring more than 200 photographs showcasing stunning Caribbean escapes and unforgettable ocean vistas, this book is the perfect gift for the sophisticated traveler. Travel journalist and luxury hotel consultant Meg Nolan Van Reesema has traveled the Caribbean extensively—from the relaxed chic bungalows of Hermitage Bay in Antigua to the open air guests rooms of Jade Mountain in St. Lucia, to the Ian Fleming Villa—Goldeneye--in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, the author highlights the most exclusive and exotic places to stay.

Selected for their unique views, and one of a kind ambience, 30 beautiful destinations representing 15 islands are featured in this tome and makes it an invaluable guide to staying at some of the finest guest rooms and hidden-away hamlets in the Caribbean.

The book also provides practical information about the guest rooms, what to expect during your stay, and the local surroundings. For those contemplating a trip to this region, the book is a handy aide in finding just the right venue to make that a memorable holiday. The reviews are extensive for each of the 30 exclusive hideaways; and the photos will make you want to book a reservation on the island of choice.

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Venice: Pure City

Author: Peter Ackroyd; Publisher: Nan Talese/Doubleday; Hardcover; $37.50

The travel tome examines a more aesthetically coherent metropolis. Yet it  is one with its hidden dark recesses and unsavory history. From its beginnings as a settlement of 117 islands bordering a lagoon, some 1400 years ago, Venice’s rise to its onetime status as Europe’s richest, most powerful city state is chronicled by the author. His account embraces facts and romance, conjuring up the atmosphere of the canals, bridges, and sunlit squares, the churches and the markets, the festivals and the flowers.

Ackroyd’s Venice is at once romantic and packed with detail, conjuring up the atmosphere of the canals, bridges and sunlit squares, the churches and the markets, the fiestas and the flowers. He leads readers through the fascinating, story-filled history of the city, from the first refugees arriving in the mists of the lagoon in the fourth century, to the rise of a great mercantile state and trading empire, the wars against Napoleon and the tourist invasions of today.

Everything is here: the merchants on the Rialto and the Jews in the ghetto; the mosaics of St. Marks’ and the glass blowers of Murano; the carnival masks and the sad colonies of lepers; the doges and the destitute. And of course, the artists — Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, with their passion for color and form.

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National Geographic Atlas of the World

Publisher: National Geographic Society; 9^th edition; Hard cover $175; Soft cover $109.

The new ninth edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World reports and

examines up-to-the-minute geopolitical and environmental changes through detailed, accurate maps and beautiful, engaging design that are its hallmark. Updated for the first time in five years, the new edition offers more in-depth and expansive coverage than previous editions.

New maps cover regions of volatile civil strife, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. World thematic spreads reveal freshwater scarcity, global warming, world economies, energy resources and consumption, and other critical trends. Dramatic ocean floor maps show more features and detail than any other atlas. Dynamic graphics and compelling visual stories cover the vital developments of the world in the reliable, extensive, and innovative style that National Geographic is known for. The atlas comes with a two-piece antiqued wall map that can be framed. Available in bookstores or at www.NationalGeographic.com.

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Atlantic

Author: Simon Winchester; Publisher: Harper/Collins; Hardback, 495 pages; $27.99

Atlantic is a biography of the Atlantic Ocean—a tremendous body of water that has been

central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors. Author Simon Winchester chronicles that relationship in his new book, which spans the Atlantic’s geological origins to the age of exploration to the World War II battles to today’s struggles with pollution, overfishing, and climate changes.

The book is the summation of the author’s years of research and travel, whether it be the rocky crags of the Faroe Islands or the lively ports of Argentina and Brazil or the slave castles of West Africa or the seaside villages of Ireland. His experiences are excitingly described

Simon Winchester is the author of a number of books including The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa. When he is not traveling, Winchester divides his time between Manhattan and the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. In 2006 he was made an Office of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

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Yvon’s Paris

Author: Robert Stevens; Publisher: Norton; Hardback; $40

This lovely book offers photographs that reflect the moody city of Paris in the early part of the 20^th century. Though less known than Edith Piaf or Baudelaire, master photographer and postcard maker Yvon (nee John Pierre Yves Petit) drew inspiration from the dark somber weather of Paris and captured its melancholy look in his many black-and-white photos.

Photographic historian Robert Stevens reproduces some 70 black-and-white photos to show Yvon’s instinct for poetic light. He created images that stand well apart, the author writes, from the usual sunny photos of the city that photographers of his time preferred. He refused to take pictures during the middle of the day when the sun washed the shadows away. The city’s timeless landmarks—Notre-Dame, the gilded dome of the Institute de France and the stalls of the Latin Quarter all serve as fitting backdrops to Paris’ ever-changing skies, that Yvon so beautifully captured.

Stevens is a lecturer of photographic history at the School of Visual Arts and the International Center of Photography in New York City.

November, 2010

New Guidebook Explores 400 Years of Manhattan History

Chronicles Of Old New York: Exploring Manhattan’s Landmark Neighborhoods

Author James Roman; Publisher: MuseyonGuides; Softback 209 pages; $17.95

The history of New York is written in its streets and neighborhoods. And to discover Manhattan’s past, a new guidebook--Chronicles of Old New York: Exploring Manhattan’s Landmark Neighborhoods—will guide you along the way. Written by local historian James Roman, the book features 25 concise, informative chapters on Manhattan’s 400-year old history peppered with episodes about the city’s early prominent families—the Rhinelanders, Astors, Vanderbilts—as well as about those whose creative efforts made the city what it is today—Stanford White, Gertrude Whitney, Robert Renwick, Robert Moses, to name a few. Each article features a detailed map for visiting the sites.

There are 58 historical maps along with vintage photographs and a helpful history timeline. Nine walking tours of historic New York neighborhoods are also featured with detailed maps and public transport directions.

The book is so fascinating in its historical detail and city lore that one cannot put the book down and presents a delightful afternoon of informative reading. The author, who works as a real estate broker and who lectures extensively on Manhattan’s architecture, presents life during the city’s earliest days, when Greenwich Village was a bucolic suburb; and disease was a fact of daily life because of the city’s polluted drinking water. There is an interesting section that explains how fresh water was brought to the city.

Ronan also chronicles the move north as lower Manhattan became overcrowded forcing the few and privileged to seek haven in the bucolic confines of central and northern Manhattan. He also addresses the city’s dark side--from the slums immigrants were forced to live in to Harlem’s Prohibition-era speakeasies.

The conciseness of the book’s text makes for easy absorption of the facts so clearly presented. And the lively biographies of past New York denizens and luminaries provide plenty of characters with whom to interact during or after a “neighborhood” walk.

Helpful as well is the special section that details the different architectural periods the city’s townhouses represent, not to mention the book’s easy-to-carry size.

Overall, Chronicles of Old New York provides a wonderful incisive look into what many call the world’s greatest city. So pick up a copy and put on a pair of walking shoes and explore Manhattan’s many delights.

                                                                                                -- PW Mooney