Eric Homberger

New York City: a Cultural History (Cultural Histories) Eric Homberger

New York City epitomizes modernity. Its skyscrapers and neon nightlife, together with its inner-city ghettoes, symbolize all the excitements and tribulations of contemporary urban living. But the city's powerful contemporary presence is also built upon a dramatic history. Settled by Dutch traders, seized at gunpoint by an English fleet, its development into a mega-city reveals a story as astounding as any in American history. Home to generations of migrants, an international center of finance and fashion, New York is a world city both entrepreneurial and self-promoting.

Eric Homberger explores the rich contribution New York has made to American history and culture. Birthplace of Herman Melville, Henry James, and Joseph Heller and adopted home of poets, playwrights, artists, and radicals from every continent, the city has been relentless in overturning cultural conventions. From jazz to hip-hop, from art deco to modernism, New York has always been at the forefront of innovation.