Lost New York

Reiss, who has published seven books on the city's history and architecture (e.g., New York Then and Now), accurately depicts and valuably describes in two-page spreads 75 of the most memorable buildings of old Manhattan, mostly dating from the Civil War to World War II (with a few Coney Island landmarks thrown in). The book is beautifully illustrated in aged black-and-white photos and burnished with charming prose based on many years of research. This book is briefer than the three comparable volumes of Robert A.M. Stern's four-volume series (New York 1880, New York 1900, New York 1930) and offers an alternative view to Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel's The Landmarks of New York, which just appeared in its fifth edition; the latter volume covers surviving buildings, whereas Reiss's title recollects demolished buildings, including Pennsylvania Station, New York's greatest architectural loss.