“These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it — New York New York.” — from the song written by
Fred Ebb
My wife and I honeymooned in “the city that never sleeps” and what a treat for a Cajun from the bayous of Louisiana! One of the highlights for me was a boat tour around Manhattan from which I saw many of the landmarks I’d heard and read about and previously only seen on television or in the movies. Yankee Stadium, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Columbia Pres, Times Square and Madison Square Garden along with the World Trade Center and all the architectural wonders made me marvel and experience a feeling of wonder.
Benedikt Taschen sold comic books from a storefront in 1980 and grew it into a publishing house currently celebrating it’s 30th anniversary. Taschen now offers art and photography oriented books in categories from architecture to fashion to travel and sex. My first experience with Taschen’s soft cover books sprang from my interest in famous artists such as Picasso, Salvadore Dali, and Steiglitz. In a Hot Topics store, I also picked up a collection of post cards featuring the work of famous pin-up artists such as Gil Elvgren. For an example of how far Taschen has come in 30 years, do a search on Amazon for “books taschen” and the result is more than 6,200 items.
New York: Portrait of a City was written by Reuel Golden, former editor of the British Journal of Photography. He was also executive editor at Photo District News and has lectured on photography in New York, London, and Los Angeles. He now lives in Brooklyn and for this project, has assembled a remarkable collection of photographs and artwork of the world’s most exciting city.
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