"Seeking New York"

The subtitle of this handsome paperback from Rizzoli is "The Stories Behind The Historic Architecture of Manhattan --- One Building At A Time".  There are  more than 50 buildings pictured and discussed, representing multiple areas of the borough from Chinatown to Harlem, Chelsea to Murray Hill, Gramercy to Times Square .  To those familiar with the area much may seem familiar, but as the city is a place where the focus when walking is often just getting from one place to another efficiently and safely, some of these building could go unnoticed.  There is simply too much to see.

This book is not a tour guide, but it could be helpful to those interested in slowing down and noticing detail.  There are hundreds more buildings that could have been chosen to represent the diversity of the city's architecture.  This is a perfect start for those with interest.  The stories attached to each building range from rambling historic gossip to tales of historical importance.  This is a book that can read piecemeal, like an attractive book for an end table that any visitor could pick up.

A building very familiar to us is one of  those featured, the Edward Mooney House at 18 Bowery.  It's nice to see.