Colonial New York: A history (A History of the American colonies)

by Michael Kammen

Book Overview

Today, New York stands as the capital of American culture, business, and cosmopolitanism. Its size, influence, and multicultural composition mark it as a corner-stone of our country. The rich and varied history of early New York would seem to present a fertile topic for investigation to those interested colonial America. Yet, there has never been a modern history of old New York--until this lively and detailed account by Michael Kammen.Gracefully...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684143259
• ISBN13: 9780684143255
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Scribner
• Length: 426 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive and Accessible

Michael Kammen has put together an extraordinary amount of research into a fairly readable and swiftly paced book. Tracing New York City's history from the days of the Native Americans to its transformation to a Dutch trading post through its last days as England's colony, Professor Kammen's COLONIAL NEW YORK: A HISTORY is one of the more exhaustive studies on the subject ever written.For me, the best parts of the book center on Peter Stuyvesant (whom Professor Kammen refers to as a "loser"--which he is, in ways). His study of the struggles between Dutch and English cultures in Section 7 is among the best I've ever read. While the book tends to sag during the sections about economic growth, it makes up for it in terms of valuable information. I shouldn't even mention that here: this isn't a novel, after all. In fact, it is a treasure trove of information which was all but lost to us until Professor Kammen wrote this book.Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS CONCLUDED, A Novel