Brooklyn has always been a place of diversity and distinction. These qualities are everywhere across the borough, from its people to its events, landmarks, and more. In Chronicles of historic Brooklyn, Borough Historian John Manbeck has collected the stories that reveal the history and spirit of this ever-growing metropolis.From stories of murderous pirates who once besieged Sheepshead Bay to tales of the still-beloved Brooklyn Dodgers who played at Ebbets Field, Manbeck t...

The Brooklyn Bridge resounds throughout popular culture as an iconic image. Yet its creation was fraught with turmoil. Working with the relatively untested theory of suspension, John Roebling designed a suspension bridge modeled after his Cincinnati-Covington Bridge, but he died before construction even began. His son Washington then accepted the challenge—only to end up paralyzed while working on the bridge. However, with his strong-willed perseverance and help from his wife, he drove the...

From America's first suburb to its favorite borough, Brooklyn is by all accounts matchless. Taking readers away from the film sets and off the tour buses, borough historian John Manbeck reveals the communities that have defined its diverse neighborhoods, from the early Dutch settlers to today's colonizing hipsters. Through urbanism and war, depression and gentrification, Manbeck's columns, first printed in the Brooklyn Eagle and now collected here, show Brooklyn for what it is�a cultural a...

Brooklyn, a magical name, both fantasy and enigma. Yet despite its reputation, Brooklyn consists of provincial, suburban neighborhoods, a small town. For over 300 years, Brooklyn suffered growing pains, but it also offered hospitality, jobs, and recreation, as the photographs in this volume show. Thus, millions crossed the East River and worked hard to build a city.Brooklyn’s image grew and took hold: the sounds of the streets and factories, the heroism, the loyalty, the Brooklyn N...