New York Stories

These forty essays from the New York Times’ City section tell “stories of human life in all its quirky richness” (The Boston Globe).

Featuring a cast of stellar writers, this collection brings some of the best essays from the City section to readers beyond the five boroughs. New York Stories profiles people like sixteen-year-old Barbara Ott, who surfs the waters off Rockaway in Queens, and Sonny Payne, the beloved panhandler of the F train. Other essays explore memorable places, from the Greenwich Village townhouse blown up by radical activists in the 1970s to a basketball court that serves as the heart of its Downtown neighborhood. The forty essays collected here reflect an intimate understanding of the city, one that goes beyond the headlines. The result is a passionate, well-written portrait of a legendary and ever-evolving place.

Contributors include: Andre Aciman, Thomas Beller, Laura Shaine Cunningham, Jim Dwyer, Jill Eisenstadt, Vivian Gornick, Chuck Klosterman, Robert Lipsyte, Phillip Lopate, Jan Morris, Richard Price, Joe Queenan, Suzanne Vega, Meg Wolitzer, and more

“Unassuming, elegant dispatches, suffused with a wise but unsentimental affection.”—The New Yorker

“All of the pieces are engrossing . . . This is both an excellent addition to New York history and a pleasure for casual browsing.” ―Publishers Weekly