The Encyclopedia of New York City

How did Tin Pan Alley get its name? Which structure in New York City contains debris from the bombing of London during World War II?

Who was the last Republican presidential candidate to carry New York City?

Where are Manhattan Beach, Manhattan College, and Manhattan Transfer? (None are in Manhattan.) When and how did the population of New York increase by 70 per cent overnight?

Answering questions such as these, this encyclopaedia spans a range of facts about what many consider to be America's most fascinating city.

It covers subjects throughout the five boroughs from prehistory to the present.

The book consists of more than 4000 entries in alphabetical order by more than 650 contributors, along with 680 illustrations and maps.

Among the topics covered by the encyclopaedia are architecture, government and politics, business, religion, weather, the arts, education, transport, the law, science and medicine, and sports and recreation. Entries reflect the city's inhabitants, past and present, describing a wide range of neighbourhoods and immigrant groups as well as such varied figures as Bella Abzug, Woody Allen, Mother Cabrini, Lou Gehrig, Emma Goldman, John Gotti, Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, Donna Karan, Captain Kidd, Miguel Pinero, Adam Clayton Powell, Nelson Rockefeller, Big Tim Sullivan, and Andy Warhol.