Greenwich Village: A Guide to America's Legendary Left Bank

Originally, Greenwich Village was settled by the rich and merchant class of lower Manhattan as an escape from the recurring ravages of yellow fever and cholera. For this reason Greenwich Village was, essentially, never really mapped out; never really settled in accordance to any public plan. Perhaps this haphazard beginning is what gave the area its combined refined yet anarchic flavor that exists until this day. And this was also the reason for the area becoming attractive to free-thinkers and artists, which is the focus of the valuable book, "Greenwich Village: A Guide to America's Legendary Left Bank" by Judith Stonehill. Complete with maps, illustrations and a walking tour of the four sections which make up Greenwich Village, the guide reveals the extraordinary number of famous artists, writers, performers, etc who made the place their homes. Artist Edward Hopper, poet Walt Whitman, playwright Eugene O'Neill, and novelist Willa Cather, are just a few of the famous names who lived and created work here. But more important, as the subtitle to this guide suggests, they created something uniquely American."Greenwich Village: A Guide to America's Legendary Left Bank" is a great book for people who will visit the village, and is great for New Yorkers, themselves, to learn about this neighborhood that they thought they knew so well.Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

I couldn't stop reading this book! It's funny, smart, full of surprises and as beautiful as any book I've seen this year. It's like a box of candy -- almost impossible to put down, easy to pick up again, and delicious wherever your fingers happen to land.

Ms. Stonehill's book has opened my eyes to this wonderful neighborhood. At first glance, the book appears as a quick read, yet the amount of detail and research that has gone into this small book is astounding. Over the years, I have spent much free hours walking about Greenwich Village, but now with the book in hand, I have come to appreciate this historic neighborhood even more. This Holiday Season, many of my friends will be getting a copy of this fabulous gift.

The Editorial Review informs us that Judith Stonehill was co-owner of New York Bound Bookshop. To think of New York Bound Books as a bookstore is to think of Disneyworld as a giftshop: It was so much much more than a bookstore. It had everything about New York, from post cards, to maps, to photographs to books. So Judith didn't just co-own a 'bookstore', it was a candy store for addicted NYers.Her book: What hasn't been said about Greenwich Village? Probably very little, but it doesn't matter: There have been hundreds of books on Greenwich Village with hundreds more to come, each with its own unique perspective.What she does so wonderfully is to point out those things you may well have not noticed. See, while it is impossible to know everything about The Village, this book makes you want to know more. And that is the most worthy goal of all.