Books on New York City History
The Encyclopedia of New York City by ISBN: 0300114656Publication Date: 2010-12-01A newly updated, expanded edition of the most comprehensive one-volume reference work on New York City ever compiled Covering an exhaustive range of information about Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the first edition of The Encyclopedia of New York City was a success by every measure, earning worldwide acclaim and several awards for reference excellence, and selling out its first printing before it was officially published. But much has changed since the volume first appeared in 1995: the World Trade Center no longer dominates the skyline, a billionaire businessman became an unlikely three-term mayor, and urban regeneration--Chelsea Piers, the High Line, DUMBO, Williamsburg, the South Bronx, the Lower East Side--has become commonplace. To reflect such innovation and change, this definitive, one-volume resource on the city has been completely revised and expanded. The revised edition includes 800 new entries that help complete the story of New York: from Air Train to E-ZPass, from September 11 to public order. The new material includes broader coverage of subject areas previously underserved as well as new maps and illustrations. Virtually all existing entries--spanning architecture, politics, business, sports, the arts, and more--have been updated to reflect the impact of the past two decades. The more than 5,000 alphabetical entries and 700 illustrations of the second edition of The Encyclopedia of New York Cityconvey the richness and diversity of its subject in great breadth and detail, and will continue to serve as an indispensable tool for everyone who has even a passing interest in the American metropolis.
Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 by ISBN: 0195140494Publication Date: 2000-10-19To European explorers, it was Eden, a paradise of waist-high grasses, towering stands of walnut, maple, chestnut, and oak, and forests that teemed with bears, wolves, raccoons, beavers, otters, and foxes. Today, it is the site of Broadway and Wall Street, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, and the home of millions of people, who have come from every corner of the nation and the globe. In Gotham, Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace have produced a monumental work of history, one that ranges from the Indian tribes that settled in and around the island of Manna-hata, to the consolidation of the five boroughs into Greater New York in 1898. It is an epic narrative, a story as vast and as varied as the city it chronicles, and it underscores that the history of New York is the story of our nation. Readers will relive the tumultuous early years of New Amsterdam under the Dutch West India Company, Peter Stuyvesant's despotic regime, Indian wars, slave resistance and revolt, the Revolutionary War and the defeat of Washington's army on Brooklyn Heights, the destructive seven years of British occupation, New York as the nation's first capital, the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, the Erie Canal and the coming of the railroads, the growth of the city as a port and financial center, the infamous draft riots of the Civil War, the great flood of immigrants, the rise of mass entertainment such as vaudeville and Coney Island, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the birth of the skyscraper.
Books in OneSearch
You can expand your search to seeing what is in "all CUNY" libraries, yet the example below shows when you just search for a print book that is on the shelves at Hunter's libraries. Also note this example shows a book that is at the Silberman campus, on E 119 and Third Avenue.
As long as it's a "regular loan" book that is in the "stacks" (the shelves), you can request a print book from another CUNY library.
Note the call number (the location of the book) and look up where the first letter (H, in this case) corresponds to the floor maps in the library. Be sure the location corresponds with the branch library (Cooperman; Silberman; Zabar Art Library; Health Professions Library).
For info about other CUNY libraries, go here.
E-Books
You can limit your search to both full e-books as well as e-book chapters. The following example is just searching e-books at Hunter but you can also try expanding your search to all of CUNY. Note that Hunter students do not necessarily have access to all e-books available at other CUNY libraries.
Locating Print Books or Browsing the Library's History Collection
When you find a book you want, be sure to note the call number, which will tell you where the book is located on the shelf.
If you want to browse the collection, History books in the library are located on Floors B1, 4:
You can browse by topic using the following call numbers:
E
F
History of the Americas (America, United States)
History of the Americas (United States Local History, British America, Dutch America, French America, Latin America, Spanish America)
Request Books From Another CUNY Library (CLICS)
If Hunter doesn't have the book you need, but another CUNY library does, you have two options:
- Go to the another CUNY library and check out the book.
- Order the book to be delivered to Hunter via CLICS.
The system of borrowing books from another CUNY library is called CLICS. It usually takes 3-5 business days to receive a book after you submit your request. If you're in a hurry, it may be faster to go to the CUNY library with the book and check it out in person.
To use CLICS or to access another CUNY library in person, please first make sure that your card has been activated.
**NOTE: This only applies to REGULAR LOAN print books, not items on Reserve.
Request Books from a Non-CUNY Library (ILL)
If Hunter doesn't have the book you need and it's not at another CUNY library, there are still other ways of accessing it.
First, check if the New York Public Library has your book. If not, search WorldCat to see if any local libraries have a copy. If the book is available locally, talk to a librarian about requesting access to the library that has it. If not, you can request the book via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
You can access ILL HERE or via the library website:
You will need to know your NetID to access ILL, and the first time you log in, you will need to create an account:
Once your account is set up, you can submit a request:
To request a book, select "New Request: Book" and fill in the required information:
If the book is available, it will be sent to Hunter and you will receive an e-mail when it is available to be picked up at the Circulation Desk.
You can also use ILL for full articles, chapters, and some AV materials.