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HIGH LINE

Name: HIGH LINE
Author: Joshua David
ISBN: 978-0-374-53299-4

THE INSIDE STORY OF NEW YORK CITY'S PARK IN THE SKY

by Joshua David & Robert Hammond ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2011

“Few people who come to the High Line know what it took to make it possible,” writes David. Thanks to this book, readers now...

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The chronological metamorphosis of an abandoned railroad into an urban park, and the two men behind the process.

When David and Hammond first began thinking about saving the High Line, an elevated rail structure on New York City’s West Side, they had no idea they were embarking on a 10-year journey. They just wanted to save this “tremendous sense of space” full of “waist-high Queen Anne’s lace” from being destroyed, to transform the abandoned rail bed into a “place where people would come to stroll just for the sake of strolling.” Split into two parts—one part interview, one part photographs—the narrative leads readers from the inception of the nonprofit group the Friends of the High Line to the ribbon-cutting ceremony a full decade later. The authors had to jump through substantial bureaucratic hoops in New York and Washington, D.C., to obtain legal control of the deserted rail bed. Along the way, David and Hammond give recognition to the numerous famous and not-so-famous people who contributed their efforts and money to the cause. To push the concept ever forward, they held an idea competition that drew 720 entries from around the world and a design competition that pit several top New York agencies against each other. Chronicles of the numerous fundraising events flesh out this recounting of two men and their improbable dream.

“Few people who come to the High Line know what it took to make it possible,” writes David. Thanks to this book, readers now know the tremendous energy and effort that went into turning what some saw as “a relic and an obstacle” into a viable park for all to enjoy.

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-374-53299-4

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.