A "street-smart, informative and occasionally hilarious" look at the places, personalities, and history that make New York one of a kind ( Publishers Weekly).Reporter Sam Roberts has covered the city in all its quirkiness, both in print and in his popular New York Times podcasts. In Only in New York, now updated with new stories, he writes about what makes this city tick and why things are the way they are in the greatest of all metropoli...

"Mordantly wonderful." -CARL HIAASEN"I almost died laughing." -ROZ CHAST"My own departure would not be so bad if only Mr. Roberts could write the obit!" -KAI BIRDFrom celebrated New York Times obituarist Sam Roberts, the art of the obit: Who we remember, how we forget, and where we find the true meaning in a lifeAfter nearly a decade behind the obituaries desk at the paper of record, Roberts kn...

Longlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in NonfictionFrom award-winning New York Times reporter Sam Roberts, the story of the world's most exceptional city, told through 31 little-known yet pivotal inhabitants who helped define it —now in paperback.In Sam Roberts's pulsating history of the world's most exceptional metropolis, greet the city anew through thirty-one unique New Yorkers you've probably ne...

**From the urban affairs correspondent of the New York Times--the story of a city through twenty-seven structures that define it.As New York is poised to celebrate its four hundredth anniversary, New York Times correspondent Sam Roberts tells the story of the city through bricks, glass, wood, and mortar, revealing why and how it evolved into the nation's biggest and most influential.From the seven hundred thousand or so buildings in New York, Rober...

A revealing view of America and its citizens at the dawn of a new century, by the author of the New York Times Notable Book Who We AreFor more than two centuries, America has taken stock every decade, producing a statistical self-portrait of our population. In Who We Are Now, Sam Roberts identifies and illuminates the trends and social shifts changing the face of America today.America is in the midst of a fundamental transformation....

“A fresh and fast-paced study of one of the most important crimes of the twentieth century” (The Washington Post), The Brother now discloses new information revealed since the original publication in 2003—including an admission by his sons that Julius Rosenberg was indeed a Soviet spy and a confession to the author by the Rosenbergs’ co-defendant.Sixty years after their execution in June 1953 for conspiring to steal atomic secrets, Julius and Ethe...

A rich, illustrated - and entertaining -- history of the iconic Grand Central Terminal, from one of New York City's favorite writers, just in time to celebrate the train station's 100th fabulous anniversary.In the winter of 1913, Grand Central Station was officially opened and immediately became one of the most beautiful and recognizable Manhattan landmarks. In this celebration of the one hundred year old terminal, Sam Roberts of The New York Times looks ba...

Reclaim Your Vision, Break Through Resistance, and Make Art That MattersThis book is not about hacks, habits, or hustle.The Defiant Creative Process is a raw and radically honest look at what it means to keep making art in a culture that constantly pulls you away from it. It's for artists, writers, and creative people of all kinds who are tired of the noise, the self-doubt, the shame spirals, and the endless pressure to produce-or disappear.Through...

This is the first scholarly collection to examine the social and cultural aspects on the worldwide interest in the faded remains of advertising signage (popularly known as ‘ghost signs’). Contributors to this volume examine the complex relationships between the signs and those who commissioned them, painted them, viewed them and view them today. Topics covered include cultural memory, urban change, modernity and belonging, local history and place-making, the crowd-sourced use of online mob...

“Delightfully surprising….A portable virtual museum…an entertaining stroll through the history of one of the world’s great cities” (Kirkus Reviews), told through 101 distinctive objects that span the history of New York, almost all reproduced in luscious, full color.Inspired by A History of the World in 100 Objects, Sam Roberts of The New York Times chose fifty objects that embody the narrative of New York for a feature article in the pap...

No one denies that New York City is unique—but what makes it sui generis? Sam Roberts, a longtime city reporter, has puzzled over this in print and in his popular New York Times podcasts for years. In Only in New York, updated with new tales and fascinating glimpses into uniquely NYC life, he writes about what makes this city tick and why things are the way they are in the greatest of all metropolises on earth. The more than 75 essays in this book cover a variety of topic...

"Mordantly wonderful." —CARL HIAASEN"I almost died laughing." —ROZ CHAST"My own departure would not be so bad if only Mr. Roberts could write the obit!" —KAI BIRDFrom celebrated New York Times obituarist Sam Roberts, the art of the obit: Who we remember, how we forget, and where we find the true meaning in a lifeAfter nearly a decade behind the obituaries desk at the paper of record, Roberts kn...