The Unfinished City New York and the Metropolitan Idea

"Benders essays are deeply engaged and committed to his project of reasserting a general public role for historians. . . . Many of the most arresting observations in this book derive, however, from close reading of particulars, notably the physical particulars and artistic representations of selected bits of New York City streetscape and architecture." (The American Historical Review) "Bender has an omnivorous intellect, and, whether hes writing about Thomas Edison, the history of Washington Square, or modernist conceptions of the city, he has a knack for finding the telling anecdote and putting it in context. . . . This is a nuanced, convincing history, attuned to the difficulties and pleasures of city living." (The New Yorker) "Offers a thought-provoking perspective on the citys historical development and the continuing efforts to finish the place." (The New York Times) "One of the strengths of this book is the way it uses photographs and illustrations as integral parts of the argument. . . . A learned, thoughtful, and incisive analysis of metropolitan culture." (The Journal of American History)