An excellent book for your coffee table.

The photography is superb. Many well known structures and locations are photographed from angles that provide the reader a new and interesting perspective. Starting from the New York Harbor and working north, Mr. Ortner covers all the important locations, from the Financial Distict and Soho through Midtown and Central Park to the upper East and West sides of the island known as Manhattan.

Accompanying the photos are captions that permit the reader to discover interesting new facts about the Big Apple.

The double gatefolds and glorious full color prints are an excellent choice as a gift, as a souvenir or just as a relaxing book. Whether you reside in the city, desire to visit someday or just enjoy beautiful pictures, it is a book that you and your family will truly enjoy.

If you're looking for just one volume of photographs of The Big Apple, you've found the one to buy. I've just completed my 6th visit to New York since 1997, and I'm so glad I found this book. Believe me -- I'm really picky about this sort of thing, and each one of Jon Ortner's photographs is breathtaking. All the other New York books don't even begin to compare with this one. Looking through this book is like being back in New York again. All the major sites of Manhattan are there -- The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building, Central Park and more.

Don't hesitate to buy this book.

I found this book by chance in a 2nd hand bookstore the day when the towers of the WTC collapsed. It brought tears to my eyes to see how impressive and beautiful the skyline and these buildings were.

The pictures in this book are excellent and show the city in the mellow light of early morning and evening. My favorite is the one showing the Statue of Liberty with the WTC towers behind it, almost dwarfing it. For me this picture captures the essence of NYC.

Bruce Roberts is one of the best lighthouse photographers working in the U.S. today. He and his partner Ray Jones produce great lighthouse travel guides. For each lighthouse featured, you get a great picture from Roberts, a little historical story from Jones and directions of how to get to the lighthouse. Lighthouse lovers could scarcely ask for more.

There are directions and other info for finding and visiting lighthouses. They do not always show all lights for a given area. The photos are all color. I own 3 of these books. There are not many other guide books out there so if you are looking for guide books these are good to have. Since there are so many books in this series I thought I'd help people find them easier. This is the series.
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American Lighthouses
California Lighthouses
Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Western Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Southeastern Lighthouses - I own this one
Southern Lighthouses
New England Lighthouses
Mid Atlantic Lighthouses
Gulf Coast Lighthouses

I love Atlantic coast lighthouses and this book is a dream come true, chock full of images and info on mid-atlantic lighthouses and light ships, including how to get to each one that is open to public. A must for lighthouse lovers, esp. those like me who love the mightly Atlantic!

I bought this book so that I would have a resource for visiting friends. It has helped me plan numerous excursions as it lists the contact info and very often the hours and rates of most popular activities around town. The photography in this book is outstanding as well as the brief historical sections and the restaurant info.

The only thing missing, in my opinion, is better information about where not to walk after dark and other pertinent details. For example, the author mentions that such and such street in the east village is so quaint and should not be missed, but I know that I would not want to be walking there after dark. The book is primarily a "pretty" guide, so if that's the type of guide you're looking for, then it's perfect.

This book is great. I love the walking tours outlined. It gives you a map, tells you how far each tour would be, how long it should take you, and what to stop and see. This pictures and background info on various sites is great and the history is great. I also love the way it's broken down be neighborhood. Many wonderful maps.

This is an excellent book. It has everything anyone traveling to New York or even living in New York needs to know.

This book contains maps of everything, including subways. It also takes you from the Villages to the Upper East and West Sides, from Lower Manhattan to Harlem and Central Park. I could never find a better book of New York if I tried.

This is a must read for anyone traveling to New York, or just interested of learning about the Big Apple.

I am a resident of New York and I have a few posters of the skyline of the city. However, after 9/11 I wanted more pictures. I've been to all of the tourist attractions and places in The City that are not so well known. This book does a good job showing the main attractions and the most famous landmarks while including some scenes that capture the typical New York. For example, there is one shot of midtown traffic (not a specific landmark, but typical of life in The City). Because New York City has so many landmarks and sights to see, it is difficult to capture all of them in a book. This book does a good job of showing the most important sights of The City from multiple and unique angles.

However, some of the pictures are disappointing. Specifically, pictures of Times Square are about 8-10 years old and it has changed significantly in that time. It was always full of billboards and advertisements, but now it is so much brighter and greater now than the way it was portrayed in the pictures. I had also expected more written information from the book about the sights. Lastly, some pictures only show parts of some of the buildings, like the public library.

Overall I have a very favorable impression of the book. The pictures are good and that's most important. Despite the afore mentioned weaknesses I recommend this book as a picture book of NYC especially in light of the price. The book was definitely worth what I paid for it. I would also recommend this book for people who have never been to NYC.

I have long been a fan of 'coffee table books.' You know the ones---the ones with the eye-catching covers and beautiful glossy photographs inside. And my favorites have always been anything related to old Hollywood, Classic Movie Era, and New York. Never before has a book stirred me this much emotionally. I had wanted this book for awhile, and delayed ordering for one reason or another. But after the tragic events on Sept. 11, 2001, I felt the need to buy it.

The pictures are beautiful, and you will not be dissapointed. The World Trade Center is displayed prominantly throughout this book, including the cover. I for one, I happy to see images and remember what this wonderful landmark was like. It is sad staring at photos of something you know does not exist anymore, but the sheer artistry of the photos make it worth it.

To be fair-- if I would have reviewed this book before 9/11/01, I would have given it 4.5 stars. But my score goes up to 5 stars just for the sheer sentimentality of it all now.

This is a wonderful find for anyone interested in beautiful pictures, wonderful architecture, and New York.

New York is always refered to as a tourist attraction for the United States. I have never been to this city but i've always wondered what it really looked like. Sure they show the skyline on certain television shows but they never get in-depth the way the photographer has. The book captured New York's beautiful attractions and I begun to wish i lived in NYC . I was informed intelligently on everything that the book had a picture of. As an added bonus the pictures were of very high quality.

Great little book. Nice for local New Yorker's like me who just want a quick reference. Great small maps of NYC along w/detailed subway travel info. (As you know, REAL New Yorker's don't drive into Manhattan!) The must haves, like where to get a bagel in each neighborhood along with other services is very handy. Just like the title says: Not For Tourists. For folks visiting the Big Apple looking for a more detailed book for your stay, try the Michelin Green Guide for New York City 2002. edition.

Even though I am a New Yorker I find this book very very helpful. All you need to get around in the Big Apple is this book.

When I travel, I buy two kinds of guidebooks: one that offers a lot of history and details about places to visit and another one that fits in my pocket and offers the most detailed maps. I study the first book prior to my trip or in my hotel and use the latter one to navigate places, because I hate blatantly giving myself away as a tourist as I unfold a huge map in the middle of the street. "Not For Tourists Guide to NYC" was just perfect because it had all of the streets illustrated by neighborhoods and included street numbers as well. For each neighborhood, there are three maps: one that offers a list of places to eat or entertain, one that shows essential services like police station or the post office, and finally one that shows the area with subway stops and parking spots. In addition to its small size, the cover was entirely black and chic, which made me feel comfortable pulling it out on the streets or even on the subway. It was my first extended visit to NYC last weekend and my friend and I gave directions to five or six tourists/New Yorkers in three days! Everyone who asked for directions was very impressed with my NFT Guide, as were my friends who live in the city. I plan to relocate to NYC later this year and am confident that my NFT Guide will help me get acquainted to the city as quickly as possible. If you are like me and want accurate directions while blending in with the natives, I highly recommend that you bring a copy of the NFT Guide with you. Since this book mainly consists of highly detailed maps only, I recommend that you also buy another guidebook that offers you background history and/or information on sightseeing, if you want to know info such as museum hours of operation, history of certain buildings, anecdotes, etc. I just hope that NFT brings more guidebooks on other cities in the USA and beyond!

This atlas shows nearly every back road in the state of Pennsylvania, with all the state route numbers and many of the names. It does not have much detail on the cities, only the major roads. It's also not much use for looking up country addresses, unless you happen to know the road number, rather than the name. The gazetter is great, however. It lists all the private campgrounds in the state, amusements, excursions, spectator sports, some stuff on the Amish, some wineries, unique natural features, all the state parks and forests, botanical gardens, senic drives, skiing, some canoeing, some hiking, some covered bridges, some bike routes, tons of museums and historic sites, tons of golf corses, lots of fishing, and lots of hunting sites. A great guide to the state

It's Wednesday evening. You're trying to think of something new and different to do with you weekend. Your loved one(s) are bored and restless and want to do something different. It's all up to you... What to do...

If you've been there before, there is one solution - this book of great maps. In addition to the detailed accuracy of the maps, there is a great section that details locations of interest, places to go, things to do, phone numbers you can call to make arrangements and get info. This could be the book that saves your weekend!

Stored in your car, it could also be the book that get's you where you want to go without driving to a gas station to get directions. If you've tried that lately, you know that your chances of getting good directions to far-off places are slim to none.

I have purchased several of these books - one for each state that I frequent. Whenever I want to get away, I take them out and see what I can find. We have visited covered bridges, homes built by Frank Lloyd Wright, cliffs and caves, museums and all kinds of historic landmarks.

For the price of a nice meal, you will have a travel companion for many years to come. While you can get maps on the internet, most of us still don't have that at our disposal when we are on the road. This book will be your guide!

The only maps I know of that are more detailed than this atlas are a topographical maps. If you want those for an entire state it's going to be really expensive. With this atlas and a compass there is no where in the state that you can't get to. Want to find a shorter way to get from Erie to State College, this atlas has detailed backroads. Want to find a place to go camping in PA? Check out this atlas.

Comapres to substance of the Rt-66 books. Especiall the legacy of attractions bypassed by time. Some like Ligonier Pool have been salvaged, & will reopen..but most drive-ins are gone

Yes, those Rt. 66 folks have their road, but *the* primier highway of roadside Americana is the Lincoln Highway. Butko's book is an ideal guide to the Pennsylvania portion of the Lincoln Highway, pointing out most every present or defunct business, bypassed or neglected right-of-way, and historical point of interest along the route. The book describes the highway geographically, from east to west, allowing the reader to explore all at once or in various sections the Pennsylvania portion of the road that began America's love affair with the automobile. Filled with old photographs, this book is an excellent guide for any fan of history who might want see what remains of the early automobile era when automobiling was entertainment in itself.

Brian's book, not only gives you a great overview of the historic Lincoln Highway across Pennsylvania, but what it looks like today and the heritage of this great national monument to free enterprise. No student of the Lincoln Highway can call his bookself complete without this book.

I want to review the book about light

THE best picture book about NY: photographers managed to catch the beautiful light that makes New York so magical!

After reading many architecture and photography books about NYC I knew this book was a keeper when I noticed it at a used book store in Boston. I have yet to find a more visceral or beautiful collection of photos about the great city. Likewise, the collection of prose is equally captivating and informative to read.

This book is a good introductory field guide to the region. As expected from an Audobon Society book, the photographs are top-notch. Sections on topography, habitats, the night sky, and area parks and preserves are particularly helpful. The flora and fauna identification sections don't go into a lot of detail, but will allow you to identify most common plants and animals. I can see where this would be helpful to scouts and young adults in particular.

However, I was disappointed that the book wasn't a bit more comprehensive. Obviously, as a portable field guide, it can't cover every single species. But in our area (northern Virginia) we have so many more butterflies and other insects that this book simply does not include. In some cases, I had to refer to the Audobon Field Guide for *Florida* to find a particular species. And with crayfish all over the creekbeds of this area, their omission under the crustacean section just seems strange.

That said, I would still recommend this book as a basic field guide. It does provide good background information on the area, and the photos are spectacular. Just don't expect to identify everything you see with it -- you'll need to do further research on your own.

I bought this book to take on family hikes. Whether your interests are as general as that, or whether you are inclined toward serious plant/animal identification, this book should be helpful.

It is oriented toward quick identification. The pictures are clear, colorful, and though small, should enable many matches out in the field. Although the write-ups are brief, and don't go much further beyond identification and some basic facts like location, there are occasionally some additional helpful information. For example, the section on mushrooms clearly identifies which ones are poisonous and deadly poisonous.

The book has some additional chapters on parks in the region. It is well organized. I would imagine that for weekend walkers, this field guide might be the only one you'll ever need.

This series has answered a long outstanding need ... an one volume field guide that you can actually carry into the field. As a birder, I still carry a more detailed bird guide such as National Geographic or Peterson's. But I'm always running across a flower or tree or animal I'm curious about. This guide is the ideal second volume carry with you since it explains the the most common things you'll run across in areas other than your primary interest. Another valuable use is for leaders of youth groups, such as Scout leaders. As a Scout leader myself, I'm always being asked by the boys to help them identify a salamander or other animal. This guide allows you to do this in the field wihhout having to carry a whole library of field guides in your pack. In addition, by being regional guides they eliminate the things you won't find in an area, such as saguarro cactus in New Jersey. In sum, the appropriate book from this series is a good reference to carry with you as you explore the outdoors in your part of the USA.

I would probably have given this book 5 stars if the Belle Harbor section (where I grew up in the 60's and 70's) had been better represented, but still, it was great to see the neighborhood I left as a teenager in 1976!

For those that live --or lived-- there, especially if you spent any amount of time in Far Rock, you must get this book.

To the authors: issue a revised edition with a more emphasis on everything West of Beach 116th Street... and I'll go 5 and a half stars in my next review!

Simply the only printed information available about the Rockaways of yesterday. It seems that everyone has roots in this once grand seaside community and this book gives you hundred of old postcard views of the towns along the beach. There's not much left there from the old days and even fewer people left in the NYC slum who know how to read or right. So we'll bet that most of the sales of this book will be outside of Rockaway. But if you're heart's at the seashore, then Vincent and William's book should be in your library...

EKG, (escaped to Long Beach, NY)

Old Rockaway, New York in Early Photographs, exceeded my expectations! I thought it would provide a photographic history of perhaps the 1930's and 1940's. I was pleasantly surprised to find nineteenth century photographs of the peninsula in its true heyday. Having lived in Arverne during the 1960's and 70's, I was amazed to see that the rich and famous visited this area very similar to the way the rich and famous today visit the Hamptons on the east end of Long Island. As you view the postcards from this early era, you can actually see the unspoiled landscape of sand dunes and bay marshes that no longer exist. And the magnificent hotels and homes that graced this once popular resort prove to me that the City of New York truly mis-managed the development since the 1930's.