Foreword by Calvin Trillin“A remarkable, vivid, and meticulously researched story about an unjustly forgotten major figure of the nineteenth century.” - Nicholas B. Lemann“It’s more than a bio. It’s a way to understand Jewishness, the South, and America.” - Walter Isaacson“Peter Wolf’s The Sugar King is an absorbing ancestral journey.” - Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

This first full-scale history of the development of the American suburb examines how "the good life" in America came to be equated with the a home of one's own surrounded by a grassy yard and located far from the urban workplace. Integrating social history with economic and architectural analysis, and taking into account such factors as the availability of cheap land, inexpensive building methods, and rapid transportation, Kenneth Jackson chronicles the phenomenal growth of the American su...

A New York Times BestsellerA timely collection of speeches by David McCullough, one of America’s most honored historians—winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom—that reminds us of the enduring principles at the heart of the American experience.“Insightful and inspirational, The American Spirit summons a vexed and divided nation to remember—and cherish—our unifying idea...

A gripping, “rollicking” (John Carreyrou, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Blood) biography of Jay Gould, the greatest of the 19th-century robber barons, whose brilliance, greed, and bare-knuckled tactics made him richer than Rockefeller and led Wall Street to institute its first financial reforms.Had Jay Gould put his name on a university or concert hall, he would undoubtedly have been a household name today. The son of a poor farmer whos...

Executive jets and yachts are the quintessential tableau of today's tycoons. A century or more ago it was Pullman Palace Cars and yachts. The Palace Cars were ornate, featured extravagant pomp, from crystal chandeliers and marble baths to sumptuous bedrooms, libraries and living rooms walled in mahogany, with servant quarters nearby. The man who made this possible, George Pullman, catered to the wealthy, provided unique cars built to individual tastes and standards, but also gave ordinar...

In 1877, Charles Dana's New York Sun reported: "He taught New Yorkers how to eat, how to drink, how to dress, how to drive four-in-hands, how to furnish their houses, how to live generally according to the rules of the possibly somewhat effete, but unquestionably refined, society of the Old World." The subject was August Belmont, a man who ended up in the United States by accident, not by design, fell in love with the country, amassed a great fortune and changed New York City forever. Belmont...

"Looks behind the facade to see the hidden engineering marvels . . . will deepen anyone's appreciation for New York's most magnificent interior space." — The New York Times Book ReviewWinner of the Professional/Scholarly Publishing Award in Architecture from the Association of American PublishersGrand Central Terminal, one of New York City's preeminent buildings, stands as a magnificent Beaux-Arts monument to America's Railway Age, a...

Stories of ghosts and strange happenings at these historic Southern homes—with photos included.Louisiana plantations evoke images of grandeur and elegance, but beyond the facade of stately homes are stories of hope and subjugation, tragedy and suffering, shame and perseverance and war and conquest.After sixteen workers axed most of the Houmas House's ancient oak trees, referred to as "the Gentlemen," eight of the surviving trees eerily twisted overnight in ...

Winner of the American Book AwardSan Francisco Chinatown is the first book of its kind—an "insider's guide" to one of America's most celebrated ethnic enclaves by an author born and raised there. Written by architect and Chinese American studies pioneer Philip P. Choy, the book details the triumphs and tragedies of the Chinese American experience in the U.S. Both a history of America's oldest and most famous Chinese community and a guide to its significant...

In the 1700s, Amsterdam was just a small trading village in upstate New York. Utilizing its superior location astride critical waterways, the village grew during the westward expansion of the early 1800s to become an industrial powerhouse. By the 20th century, Amsterdam had become America's foremost rug-making center, nicknamed the 'Carpet City,' and the seventh largest city in New York. Waves of Dutch, German, Irish, Italian, and eastern European immigrants were drawn to the city for work...

Nearly 80 years after his death, Lewis Hine's name is revered in the world of photography and practically synonymous with the labor reforms of the Progressive Era. His body of work--much of it a century old or more--remains vital as both aesthetic statement and social document.Drawing on a range of sources, including information from surviving family members, this first full-length illustrated biography presents a detailed and personal portrait of the sociologist and photographer w...

A compilation of American immigration tales, featuring seventy-two essays from Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Oz, Michael Bloomberg, Alan Alda, Mary Choi, and others.Journeys captures the quintessential idea of the American dream. The individuals in this book are only a part of the brilliant mosaic of people who came to this country and made it what it is today. Read about the governor's grandfathers who dug ditches and cleaned sewers, laying the groundwork for a buddi...