I am reading a wonderful book right now. Since I am still reading, it would not be fair to write a review at this point. So this is more of a Progress Report. Or maybe a note about What I am Reading Now.
A great Introduction got my interest in the opening paragraph where the author takes us on a nature adventure to a “veritable Garden of Eden” and proceeds with details of what can be found there. This doesn’t sound like the New York I know. But then the author concludes his opening paragraph with:
“This is Mannahatta: a place we are four hundred years too late to visit.”
This is the Manhattan Island found by Henry Hudson in 1609. And I am pretty sure by now that almost everyone realizes that this same island is now the center of a great city rather than a great nature preserve.
The full title is Gotham Unbound: The Ecological History of Greater New York by Ted Steinberg. It is the subtitle that tells what this book is about.
It is a bit unusual. It is a different perspective on history than we usually see and certainly very different for what you might expect in a history of a city. But the subtitle tells you right away this is not an ordinary history.
And I think it is the ecological focus on the natural world of 400 years ago and how people changed Greater New York that makes this so interesting. And this talk of 400 years does not mean that all of this was done a long time ago. Many of the changes took place in our lifetimes or those of our parents.
So far I think this is a very good book. If you are interested in the New York area and its history, I think you will enjoy this book. If “Ecological History” seems a bit intimidating – perhaps too scientific, think of this as a Natural History of Greater New York.
It is really a good read and you don’t need an advanced understanding of ecology to appreciate the book. Give it a try, I think you’ll be glad you did.
Almost one-third of the book is references. So this book has the details for the professional but is very readable by the lay person who can safely skip those references (unless interested).
It is an interesting book. I’m not through it but I’m pretty sure I’ll re-read parts of it and write a real review.
Note added July 15:
I published that review at http://www.jackreidy.com/blog/2014/07/15/gotham-unbound-ecological-history-greater-new-york-ted-steinberg/