Interesting historical tidbits about the development of New York (including some plans that were never built), wrapped up in a "retroactive manifesto" of Manhattanism, which, as these things go, is fairly readable, but makes much of small observations, like: the street grid calls attention to the finitude of the island, a skyscraper is a piece of territory repeated many times ("the Theorem"), a skyscraper breaks the traditional connection between exterior appearance and interior use ("the Lobotomy").
The high point for me is the description (with picture) of a meeting of NYC architects where each is wearing a building he designed as a costume. The guy wearing the Chrysler building is a terrifying urban warrior. Great material about Coney Island and its gradual transformation (under the pressure of growing attendance) from a place of escape to the natural (from the unnatural city) to a place of escape to the fantastic (from …
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Jake Donham rated Girl With Curious Hair (Norton Paperback Fiction): 4 stars
Jake Donham rated Master of the Senate: 5 stars
Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #3)
Jake Donham rated The path to power: 5 stars
Jake Donham rated Babel-17: 4 stars
Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany
During an interstellar war one side develops a language, Babel-17, that can be used as a weapon. Learning it turns …
Review of 'Delirious New York : a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Interesting historical tidbits about the development of New York (including some plans that were never built), wrapped up in a "retroactive manifesto" of Manhattanism, which, as these things go, is fairly readable, but makes much of small observations, like: the street grid calls attention to the finitude of the island, a skyscraper is a piece of territory repeated many times ("the Theorem"), a skyscraper breaks the traditional connection between exterior appearance and interior use ("the Lobotomy").
The high point for me is the description (with picture) of a meeting of NYC architects where each is wearing a building he designed as a costume. The guy wearing the Chrysler building is a terrifying urban warrior. Great material about Coney Island and its gradual transformation (under the pressure of growing attendance) from a place of escape to the natural (from the unnatural city) to a place of escape to the fantastic (from the humdrum city).