New York Sawed in Half: An Urban Historical

There have been some great hoaxes in the history of the United States, but this book describes one of the most bizarre. In the early years of the 1820's New York City was booming. Thousands of immigrants were arriving from Europe and they were moving into crowded and festering slums. Garbage was rarely collected and there were masses of people struggling to survive. The story is that among all this building, a rumor was started. Supposedly, all the added weight was going to cause part of the city to shrink into the water. In response to this "crisis" a grandiose plan was developed. A giant crew of men would be assembled and they would saw the island in half, tow it out to sea, flip it over and then reattach it in a way that would repair the problem. Supposedly, a call went out to the mass of unemployed people and thousands responded. Men were tested to see how long they could make sawing motions under water and barracks were built to hold the masses of workers and their families. Unfortunately, the story of a hoax is the true hoax. There is no historical record of this ever happening, it seems to have been one of those urban legends that seems to get started as a joke only to snowball into something much bigger. This book sets the historical context for the story and the presentation generally maintains that tone when the aspects of the hoax are presented. Even though I had never heard of the hoax, there were times when I thought that perhaps a couple of extremely talented con-men had pulled it off. At the end, the author admits that there was never any plan to saw New York in half and he describes some of the more elaborate hoaxes down through American history. As I closed the book, I found myself wondering if it would have been possible for someone with the flimflam skills of a P. T. Barnum to actually carry out such a charade.

I picked up this book while in NYC because I was looking for a gift for a friend back in Seattle. The flyleaf got me hooked. The author spins a delightful tale that skillfully illuminates an era (almost 200 years ago) when hoaxes were regularly promoted in "the press" and which gives meaning to the admonition of "let the buyer beware!" The hoax which is at the heart of the book is placed in realistic historical context.Highly recommended for anyone interested in historical NY as well as those of us who think we're not interested in history. A very good tale well told.

I bought this book after seeing a glowing review in the New Yorker. It's the story of a hoax that took place in the early part of the nineteenth century. It's full of great information and wonderful anecdotes. The story itself is fantastic. That this could have ever happened is beyond belief. For people interested in something out of the ordinary, you won't be disappointed.