James Fenimore Cooper, The Towns of Manhattan, 1851. A
long, opinionated essay, reflecting norms and attitudes of the
first half of the 19th century.
Henry James, Washington Square, 1880. The dark tale of an
heiress, a callous father and an adventurer.
Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905. A vision of utter
hopelessness that achieved a type of cult status.
Amor Towles, The Rules of Civility, 2011. 1930s New York
bohemia.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925. New wealth and
tragedy.
Dawn Powell, A Time to be Born,1942. Probably modeled on
the life of Clare Boothe Luce, Powell writes about the artistic
life of 1940s New York.
Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking, 1952.
Although the author did not apply the attitude towards JFK���s
presidential campaign, the basic tenets of this book reflect the
Energizer Bunnies that New Yorkers are.
Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany���s, 1958. A cheerful, upbeat
love story.
Andy Warhol, The Andy Warhol Diaries, 1989. A sardonic view
of New York from the 1960s to the 1980s.
