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Title details for Manhattan Phoenix by Daniel S. Levy - Available

Manhattan Phoenix

The Great Fire of 1835 and the Emergence of Modern New York

by Daniel S. Levy
Mike Lenz
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
In 1835, a merchant named Gabriel Disosway marveled at a great fire enveloping New York, commenting on how it "spread more and more vividly from the fiery arena, rendering every object, far and wide, minutely discernible-the lower bay and its Islands, with the shores of Long Island and New Jersey." The fire Disosway witnessed devastated a large swath of lower Manhattan, clearing roughly the same number of acres as the World Trade Center bombing. Manhattan Phoenix explores the emergence of modern New York after it emerged from the devastating the fire of 1835-a catastrophe that revealed how truly unprepared and haphazardly organized it was-to become a world-class city merely a quarter of a century later. The one led to other. New York effectively had to start over. Daniel Levy's book charts Manhattan's almost miraculous growth while interweaving the lives of various New Yorkers who took part in the city's transformation. Some are well known, such as the land baron John Jacob Astor and Mayor Fernando Wood. Others less so, as with the African American oysterman Thomas Downing and the Bowery Theatre impresario Thomas Hamblin. Manhattan Phoenix reveals a city first in flames and then in flux but resolute in its determination to emerge as one of the world's greatest metropolises.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 1, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781696605373
      • File size: 542992 KB
      • Duration: 18:51:13

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2022

      Levy (Two-Gun Cohen: A Biography) chronicles the transition of 19th-century New York from a city of thousands into the second-largest city in the world. Levy focuses on how land development, cultural events, community leaders, fires, water resources, racism, bigotry, vice, and politics all played a role in the development of the city. This well-researched and detailed narrative is broken into chunks, requiring listeners to keep track of multiple timelines. Without visuals or a single overarching time line, it is challenging to follow Levy as he moves from one time period or city location to another. Prolific narrator Mike Lenz serves as a reporter of the city's move to modernization. While most of the content is full of misery, Lenz's dreary delivery is especially devoid of drama, making this lengthy work a tedious listen. Lack of empathy for those dying from disease caused by poor sanitation and limited energy during juicy scandals were missed opportunities to enliven the text. Additionally, several mispronounced words and place names throw the listener out of the narrative. VERDICT A must for diehard Big Apple fans, but a miss for most.--Stephanie Bange

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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