The Cricket in Times Square

Product Description

The comic, sometimes tragic side of life in the city is brought into vivid relief as Chester Cricket and his friends struggle to bring success to their human friends' nearly bankrupt newsstand

Amazon.com

One night, the sounds of New York City--the rumbling of subway trains, thrumming of automobile tires, hooting of horns, howling of brakes, and the babbling of voices--is interrupted by a sound that even Tucker Mouse, a jaded inhabitant of Times Square, has never heard before. Mario, the son of Mama and Papa Bellini, proprietors of the subway-station newsstand, had only heard the sound once. What was this new, strangely musical chirping? None other than the mellifluous leg-rubbing of the somewhat disoriented Chester Cricket from Connecticut. Attracted by the irresistible smell of liverwurst, Chester had foolishly jumped into the picnic basket of some unsuspecting New Yorkers on a junket to the country. Despite the insect's wurst intentions, he ends up in a pile of dirt in Times Square.

Mario is elated to find Chester. He begs his parents to let him keep the shiny insect in the newsstand, assuring his bug-fearing mother that crickets are harmless, maybe even good luck. What ensues is an altogether captivating spin on the city mouse/country mouse story, as Chester adjusts to the bustle of the big city. Despite the cricket's comfortable matchbox bed (with Kleenex sheets); the fancy, seven-tiered pagoda cricket cage from Sai Fong's novelty shop; tasty mulberry leaves; the jolly company of Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat; and even his new-found fame as "the most famous musician in New York City," Chester begins to miss his peaceful life in the Connecticut countryside. The Cricket in Times Square--a Newbery Award runner-up in 1961--is charmingly illustrated by the well-loved Garth Williams, and the tiniest details of this elegantly spun, vividly told, surprisingly suspenseful tale will stick with children for years and years. Make sure this classic sits on the shelf of your favorite child, right next to The Wind in the Willows. (Ages 9 to 12)

Customer Reviews:

A bug and his buds.......2007-08-30

This is a fun book. It's a nice book to read a chapter at a time as a bedtime book, because nothing particularly stressful or traumatic happens. The chapters are reasonable short and benign. There is tension, there is some drama, there are rich characters struggling with their individual challenges. But there aren't many chapters ending on cliffhangers that will leave young readers or listeners feeling unsettled.

The strength of the book is the warm friendship between a displaced country cricket, a scheming but kind-hearted urban rodent, and an unflappable feline. There is also the human protagonist, Mario, a young boy who labors in Grand Central Station at his parent's newsstand. Mario's family dynamic, with the passive dad and the hard-boiled, derisive mother, sets up a nice juxtaposition. We see the sweet sap of childhood innocence standing its ground against a well-meaning but distrustful adult world.

I bought this book to read to my kids because I remember loving it so much as a little kid myself, both the book and the filmstrip adaptation, which I believe I can picture myself watching in an overcrowded mobile home that was functioning as a second grade classroom.

There's one distressing flaw to the book, which I don't remember from my own childhood because I wouldn't have noticed or cared at the time, but there is a part of the book that takes place in China Town, where it feels as if the story gets a dose of 1950's borcht belt race humor. The wise old Chinese man's dialect is achieved by switching every `R' into an `L.' As is "Vely solly." Since I was reading it to my kids, I just improvised a little and avoided doing the accent, but if an older kid is reading the book for themselves it merits a discussion. A little social-historical context.

That aside, we had a great time reading this book. The part I am asked to reread is when Chester Cricket, while dreaming that he is home eating leaves, waked up and realizes he's half-chewed through a two dollar bill borrowed from the newsstand register. There's brief panic and then excited brain-storming with his mammalian accomplices. As always, some credit goes to my unsubtle vocal performance, and I'm sorry, you can't buy that at Amazon. But it is funny stuff.

Cricket of fame and fortune!.......2007-07-07

If you are like me and love books like Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, you will certainly love "The Cricket in Times Square" because just like the "Molly Moon" books, it is compelling, interesting and has to do with fame! It is about a cricket from Connecticut, his name is Chester. One day Chester smells his favorite food, liverwurst, entered its picnic basket and then the next day he was in Times Square!! He met three friends, Harry Cat, Tucker Mouse, and a boy named Mario soon after arriving in New York City. The best part of the book is when Chester becomes famous for doing something crickets do so well, but Chester could do more. It is such a good book, I just can't wait for you to read "The Cricket in Times Square!!"

Wonderful.......2007-07-06

Oldie but goodie. Both of my children had to read it for school. It was very enjoyable.

Cricket in Times Square.......2007-04-28

The Cricket in Times Sqaure is about a talented cricket named Chester who came to New York from Connecticut in a picnic basket because he smelled liverwurst. Chester became friends with other animals like Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat. The boy, Mario Bellini, really liked the cricket and got his parents to let him keep Chester in their newsstand. Mr. Smedley was a friend of the Bellini family who was a music teacher. He wrote a letter to the newspaper so everyone found out about Chester's beautiful music. People were shocked when they heard how talented Chester was. During his adventures, Chester met Sai Fong who gave him Chinese food, mulberry leaves, and a pagoda. Our favorite part was when Chester ate the $2.00 bill because he was dreaming. It was very funny and exciting when they had to figure out what to do about it.
We got to know all of the characters in this book, but there were a few that were our favorites. We liked Chester because he had a way with words. He liked to eat liverwurst and mulberry leaves. Chester was nice, caring, and musical. Some of us have heard crickets chirping outside on nice nights, so we could picture how he looked and sounded. We also liked Sai Fong because of the way he talked and Tucker because of his sense of humor.
This is a perfect book for kids of all ages. It is good for learning new vocabulary words. We loved reading The Cricket in Times Square and we think our friends would enjoy it too! It was fun to read, it helped us learn all kinds of things, and made us laugh. Once you pick up this book, you will never want to put it down.

-Mrs. A's 5th grade class

The Bright Lights of Time Square .......2007-03-28

I do recommend the book "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden for several reasons. One reason is because you will absolutely love these characters! Tucker the mouse is witty and clever, Harry the cat is sweet and giving, and Chester the cricket is always thinking about others. This book was never boring because some type of experience happens in every chapter. For example, in a chapter called "The Dinner Party" the three friends have a little party at the newsstand but by mistake, they end up putting the newsstand on fire. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a short story with an uncommon, but interesting adventure.

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Forbidden City
Forbidden City by William Bell
Vivid details and engrossing story wow reader. By JMM
what to Exspect
Forbidden City, quick must-read for all highschool students!

Forbidden City
William Bell
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440226791
Release Date: 1996-01-10

Book Description

Seventeen-year-old Alex Jackson comes home from school to find that his father, a CBC news cameraman, wants to take him to China's capital, Beijing. Once there, Alex finds himself on his own in Tian An Men Square as desperate students fight the Chinese army for their freedom. Separated from his father and carrying illegal videotapes, Alex must trust the students to help him escape.

Closely based on eyewitness accounts of the massacre in Beijing, Forbidden City is a powerful and frightening story.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Forbidden City.......2006-03-17

Alex and his dad are going to China! Alex is home when his dad get home. His dad tells them that they are going to China. They go and they are picked up from the airport by Lao Xu. They go to the Beijing Hotel and meet Eddie. A few days later a protest broke out. A few days later, the army comes. Lots of people were killed. Lao Xu was one of them. Alex runs for his life and gets shot in the lead. He hits the ground and passes out. He wakes in a Chineese civilions home. After he is healed, his friend Xin-hua takes him to the airport to find his dad. When they get to the airport, the Chineese soldiers take Xin-hua and kill her. Alex finds his dad in the airport and they go home. There is a lot of adventure, death, and happiness in Forbidden City.

There's a bit a adventure in Forbidden City. Alex and his dad get to go to China, which is an adventure in itself. Alex does a lot of exploring in the city of Beijing. Xin-hua and Alex have the adventure of trying to get to the airport without the soldiers figuring out that Alex is Canadian.

A lot of people die in this book. Many students, who are the ones that are protesting, were killed. Many civilions were killed. Lao Xu was killed. Xin-hua was killed. They were all killed by Chineese soldiers.

Alex is mostly the only one who is happy. He is happy when he gets to go to China. His dad is happy when he gets to go too China with Alex. Alex is happy when he gets home from China. So is his dad.

Happiness, death, and adventure are diffenently in Forbidden City. If there hadn't been as many people die, it would have been happier, but I guess the people dieing made it a better book. If you like book that are based on true events and you like stuff about China history, this is the book for you.

Forbidden City by William Bell.......2005-11-29

Forbidden City is a novel based on the events that swept Beijing in 1989 and the impact of this on one person's life.
The main character, a 17-year-old war history fanatic, Alex Jackson, traveled to the Chinese capital with his father, a CBC cameraman, to cover the Russian premier Gorbachev's visit. During this event, Alex experienced the excitement of being a reporter and of recording the events of the protest, but was apprehensive as the protest became more violent. When martial law was declared in Beijing, soldiers swept in, completely surrounding Tianamen Square with the help of AK47s and even tanks. The students and civilians who were part of the demonstrations were shot down without mercy.
Alex lived out this horror as he was shot by a soldier while carrying illegal videotapes of the demonstrations. At this point, his future was bleak until university student, Xinhua rescued him, and tried to help him smuggle the tapes out of China. Alex managed to get to the airport with the tapes and escaped with his father. Sadly, Xinhua was not so lucky, gunned down by a soldier as she tried to help Alex. After the massacre and finally back in his comfy home in Toronto, Alex destroyed all his military models, realizing war wasn't a game to him anymore.
Young people interested in modern Chinese history or modern international political events will be captivated by this book. Even those with no particular interest in modern Chinese history will find the pace and excitement of this novel quite compelling. This book shares same idea as The Red Scarf by Ji Li Jiang and The Power of Tianamen by Dingxin Zhao.
I personally chose this book for this assignment because it was short but punchy. I read reviews, which recommended this book as exciting to read, and I certainly found it so. The best parts of the book were when his best friend Lao Xu was shot down while trying to stop the killings and when Alex finally gets back home to Toronto with the smuggled tapes. These were the highlights for me because they were particularly thrilling but also moving because they showed much bravery and sacrifice.
I would definitely recommend this book. If you want a fast moving and gripping story, you too will enjoy this novel.

Vivid details and engrossing story wow reader. By JMM.......2005-04-04

This book is a vivid description of the "events" at Tian An Men Square that fateful spring in 1989. This novel is about a seventeen year old boy named Alex who travels with his cameraman father to China, and witnesses the Tian An Men Square massacre.
In this book the author pays good attention to the facts while weaving a story around them. He used a journal format; from the point of view of the protagonist, Alex. William Bell (the author) paints a vivid picture of the horrendous tragedy in Beijing, and brings a realistic quality to his fiction. The characters develop well during the story, but the secondary characters are very one-dimensional.
The author brings a real and personal quality that to many of us is simply a far-off event that happened to a bunch of people we don't know. Although it is realistic, it is not a historian's account. Overall, it is a good, compelling, and vividly detailed novel.

what to Exspect.......2003-11-13

well the story I read, I thought was great. This book is called Forbidden City.This book is about these two people that is going to film an event. well two of the character named Alexander Jackson and his dad goes to Beijing to do a report on the event. His dad does this and is risking his life as well as his son. Alex was a history freak, he collected soldiers in his basement.well they traveled to where they were going and it didn't turn out the way they expected. When they got there it was ok until the event was going on. They took out tanks and killed people. While this happened alex witness his chinese friend's death. well through this event he recorded it and when it was over his father didn't know his son recorded it. Well one month after the incident chen xi tong the mayor of Beijing submitted his report to the politburo of the communist party of china.

Forbidden City, quick must-read for all highschool students!.......2003-05-08

Overall, William S. Bell does a good job putting a human face on the tragedies that took place in Tiananmen Square. He is refreshingly accurate with regard to factual information. The diary format is easy to read yet leaves the book open to interpretation and discussion. The story of the fictional characters Alex, Ted, Lao Xu, Eddie and Xin hua was created as a way to explain what happened to all sides involved in this tragic event. Bell combines a mixture of powerful emotions and dynamic characters to create a true must read for all highschool students. If highschoolers get anything out of this book at all, it will be that there are people out there who will stand up for what they believe in and that violence shouldn't be used as the answer to every problem our world faces.

Times Square Red, Times Square Blue (Sexual Cultures)

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hey, reader! stop giving no-star ratings to this book!
Prelude and fugue
An intelligent, touching book
Sex and the City
Not worth it

Times Square Red, Times Square Blue (Sexual Cultures)
Samuel Delany
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0814719198
Release Date: 1999-04-01

Amazon.com

An award-winning science fiction writer, esteemed professor of comparative literature at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and celebrated essayist and memoirist, Samuel Delany is one of America's keenest observers. He was also a longtime habitué of many of the sex theaters in New York City's Times Square, spending, by his own estimate, "thousands and thousands of hours" at the Capri, Variety Photoplays, the Eros, and the Venus. In the 1990s all of these theaters were shut down through new restrictive zoning laws, part of a combined effort by the Walt Disney Corporation and the administration of Mayor Rudy Giuliani to gentrify the area, replacing these seedily memorable institutions with antiseptic, innocuous architectural and cultural creations in the name of health safety. But as Delany reveals in his new book, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, the decision to clean up Times Square had little to do with public health, and everything to do with corporate greed.

In the two essays that comprise this eloquent, provocative book, Delany grieves for the loss of this strip of sexual release. Though he is careful not to romanticize or sentimentalize the peep shows and porn theaters, he does illuminate the way in which these venues crossed class, racial, and sexual orientation lines, providing a delightfully subversive utopia--and a microcosm of New York life. In the first essay, "Times Square Blue," Delany details his shared erotic and conversational encounters with working-class and homeless men in the theaters (which primarily showed straight porn films) and the genuine friendships that resulted; these immensely personal reminiscences also provide a social history of late-20th-century Times Square. Drawing on historical and theoretical resources in the second essay, "Three, Two, One, Contact: Times Square Red," Delany next builds a thoughtful and passionate argument against the gentrification of the area and the classist, characterless direction in which he sees New York heading. Read together, the essays of Times Square Red, Times Square Blue are both heartfelt homage to a beloved city and lament for a quirky vitality increasingly phased out by encroaching capitalism. --Kera Bolonik

Book Description

"Measured but emotional, illuminating but challenging." -The San Francisco Chronicle

"Remarkable." -Salon

"Essential." -The Nation

"In a provocative and persuasively argued cri de coeur against New York City's gentrification and the redevelopment of Times Square in the name of 'family values and safety,' acclaimed science fiction writer Delany proves himself a dazzlingly eloquent and original social commentator. . . . This bracing and well-calibrated blend of journalism, personal history and cultural criticism will challenge readers of every persuasion." -Publishers Weekly[starred review]

Both a celebration of the kaleidoscopic possibilities inherent in urban diversity and a eulogy for the plurality of human contact and stimulation squelched by the Times Square makeover." -Village Voice

If one street in America can claim to be the most infamous, it is surely 42nd Street. Between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, 42nd Street was once known for its peep shows, street corner hustlers and movie houses. Over the last two decades the notion of safety-from safe sex and safe neighborhoods, to safe cities and safe relationships-has overcome 42nd Street, giving rise to a Disney store, a children's theater, and large, neon-lit cafes. 42nd Street has, in effect, become a family tourist attraction for visitors from Berlin, Tokyo, Westchester, and New Jersey's suburbs. Samuel R. Delanysees a disappearance not only of the old Times Square, but of the complex social relationships that developed there: the points of contact between people of different classes and races in a public space. In Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, Delany tackles the question of why public restrooms, peepshows, and tree-filled parks are necessary to a city's physical and psychological landscape. He argues that starting in 1985, New York City criminalized peep shows and sex movie houses to clear the way for the rebuilding of Times Square. Delany's critique reveals how Times Square is being "renovated" behind the scrim of public safety while the stage is occupied by gentrification. Times Square Red, Times Square Blue paints a portrait of a society dismantling the institutions that promote communication between classes, and disguising its fears of cross-class contact as "family values." Unless we overcome our fears and claim our "community of contact," it is a picture that will be replayed in cities across America.

Customer Reviews:

hey, reader! stop giving no-star ratings to this book!.......2004-01-31

A confused "Amazon Customer" is repeatedly inserting blurbs from other periodicals into the "customer review" section of this page, AND failing to give "star" ratings to these inserts -- thus steadily dragging down the star-rating of this book. Since the blurbs are positive and have been repeatedly entered, I assume this "Amazon Customer" wants people to be interested in the book. Well, by failing to give a star rating, you're doing exactly the opposite! So either stop inserting blurbs altogether, or start giving them star ratings. This book is too cool to be muddied up by your confusion.

Prelude and fugue.......2000-03-11

Samuel Delaney has done the near imposible - he has written a book that is both titillating and informing. Dividing his cogent 21st Century social philosophy into two parts is at first disconcerting: Why are we reading (buying) a book that lets us in on the gossip of firsthand observation of Times Square New York, then in a page turn becomes a sophisticated academic treatise on our current social problems, in the City, and in a Country? Once past this mirage of a hurdle Delaney makes it patently clear why he chose this format. If we are introduced to a problem in a seductive manner, we pay closer attention to the bigger issues. This superb little book is illuminating in its exploration of where we are in our interpersonal relationships, our interplay with those around us (street, neighborhood, city, country), and our current drive to homogenize our world. Beautifully written, immensely readable, and a very important contribution to our social perceptions!

An intelligent, touching book.......2000-01-06

I always thought of Samuel Delaney as a writer of science fiction, my least favorite genre, so this is my first book by him. I was impressed and delighted. The worst thing I can say about it is that Mr. Delaney has a love of dependent clauses strung along inside comma-copious sentences that were sometimes hard to read. But he has awesome insights too, and compassion and wisdom lace every page. Makes me wish I was old enough to partake of that culture.

Sex and the City.......1999-11-24

A remarkable book, with both the frankest discussion of people's sexual desires and needs of any book I've read in years, and a compelling argument about the crucial role places like the old Times Square play in the life of a city. A paeon to America's cities and an intimate history of a culture being destroyed. Delany's masterful prose makes this brief book a treat to read. A great stocking stuffer for the intellectually and sexually adventurous.

Not worth it.......1999-11-20

This book promises to be a history and social commentary on Times Square's sleazy recent past. But in reality the book is told from a very narrow and restrictive point-of-view (. . . )There's nothing wrong with that except he practically ignores the fact that the West 42nd Street sex shops, peep shows, and massage parlors were also an attraction for heterosexual men. The reader will get painfully tired of reading endless descriptions of Delaney's sexual exploits among the XXX theater crowd. Additionally, the handfull of black and white photos of the empty storefronts of the "Forty Deuce" were taken after most of the shops had been driven out of business. Without good photos of the way 42nd Street used to be, the vibrant nature of the area is greatly diminished and Delaney's text doesn't make up for it. If you are looking for a social history of the old Times Square, something balanced and better illustrated, try Josh Alan Friedman's "Tales of Times Square" instead.

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Temple Square Gardening
Christena Gates , Diane Erickson , and Shelly Zollinger
Manufacturer: Eagle Gate Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Month-To-Month Gardening Utah: Tips for Designing, Growing and Maintaining Your Utah Garden

ASIN: 1570088012

Book Description

Master gardeners at Temple Square share in this book their expertise in desigining, planting, fertilizing, and maintaining beautiful lawns and gardens. Full of practical advice to simplify the job, beautiful photographs to provide inspiration, and colorful drawings to help re-create the perfect look, this gorgeous book will guide you to the garden of your dreams.

Included is a special section on bulbs, a primer on gardening basics by Larry Sagers of KSL Greenhouse Show, and lists favorite flowers and shrubs compiled by the Temple Square gardeners.

Book Description

From esteemed New Yorker writer Mark Singer comes this cautionary tale of the Penn Square Bank, the oil and gas broker in an Oklahoma City shopping mall whose collapse in 1982 staggered America's banking industry. Recounting the whole spectacular story and its colorful characters, Singer makes brilliantly (and hilariously) clear what actually happened and why it had to happen in boom-time Oklahoma. Nowhere else did money flow in quite the same spontaneous fashion. "[A] tale of wonderful verve" (New York Times), Funny Money comes to life through Singer's vivid prose and continues to resonate in today's culture of corporate corruption.

Customer Reviews:

So that's what happened to the oil business.......2007-09-23

Well written and enjoyable - not a easy thing for such a potentially droll subject. Made a living shutting down oil companies for a while - now I know why.

Entertaining, but a little light.......2006-10-03

As one who lived through this, and is trained in economics and finance, and knew several of the individuals of the era, I enjoyed this book, but found it not as thorough nor displaying a comprehensive grasp of the context of the times as it could have. I felt like the author was striving more to be entertaining and engaging, than to provide a comprehensive historical record or in-depth economic analysis. I would recommend Philip Zweig's "Belly Up, the Story of Penn Square Bank" in its place for those seeking a more in-depth history. Zweig's book is better researched and also does an excellent job of communicating the flavor and energy of those years. I might give Singer's book a 3.6, but I think a 4.0 is too high.

What everyone needs to know.......2005-07-28

Mark Singer has written one of my favorite books ever. It is simple to read and simply hilarious to think that a bank in a shopping maul almost brought down the entire banking industry of the United States and hence the world. Mark Singer's understanding of how this happened and the characters involved in the fiascal leaves the reader with a more profound and terrifying idea of what makes the world go round.

Corrections to reviews.......2003-01-06

As someone who has grown up in Oklahoma City and graduated from high school the year that the collapse had happened, I knew of some of the persons involved through other people.

The red piggy bank logo belonged to Sooner Federal Savings and Loan, and sat on top of 50 Penn Place.

Penn Square Bank had built what is now known as The Tower a couple of blocks down the street. They never moved into it, they were shut down while they were still inside the north end of Penn Square Mall, and the building was finished out after the closure.

Singer has relatives here in Oklahoma in the oil business, so he had some insight into the things that had happened.

If you want more detail, Belly Up goes into much more greater detail and is harsher in it's treatment of the characters involved.

Okiesmo Lives.......2001-02-20

Growing up in Oklahoma my only real memory of the Penn Square Bank failure was when they pulled down the red-piggy-bank logo from the top of the building. It was something that was talked about on the national news every evening, but it wasn't well understood just how such a small local bank could cause such a ruckus.

Mr. Singer's book explains what was at the bottom of all of the trouble, how Penn Square fell from grace, and in the process of doing so provides interesting commentary on Oklahoma culture, as well as some history and other facts pertaining to the oil business. The book is very well written and quick paced, providing just enough detail to be considered in depth, while not languishing on unnecessary detail.

It is interesting to remark that the same conditions that caused everyone to say oil at $100 per barrel was a no-brainer are those that caused people to put forth the indestructible nature of internet-retailing. The Okiesmo of wildcats in pursuit of oil bears striking resemblance to the aggressive idiocy of venture capitalists fighting to put money into business plans that ignored common sense.

This book is satisfying on a lot of levels, the depth of information on the figures behind the bankruptcy, the environment that spawned and incented those figures and also the culture, both nationally and locally, which created this collapse. This is a very interesting book, and I highly recommend it.

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Awesome!

Squares: A Public Place Design Guide for Urbanists
Mark C. Childs
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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New Towns For Old: Achievements In Civic Improvement In Some American Small Towns And Neighborhoods (American Society of Landscape Architects Centennial Reprint)

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The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community

ASIN: 0826330045

Book Description

Vital public places—squares, post office steps, playgrounds, street corners—are centers of joyful celebration, heartbroken communion, civic discussion, or for simply hanging out. Squares is intended to help designers, planners, public officials, students, developers, and community leaders understand the history and theories of public commons, elicit community dialogue and desires, respond to the natural and built environment, and design compelling places.

Mark C. Childs contends that places built to support conviviality are critical components of a good town. He includes theory, brief case studies, and 126 design queries and discussions. These questions range from the general--"How can the life of the community be strengthened by the planning of a civic place?"--to the particular--"Is the place delightful on a Tuesday morning?" "What makes a good place for a rendezvous?" Childs explores the design implications of the automobile, electronic media, the natural environment, urban furniture and structures, public safety, and public art. Interspersed with Childs's text are brief essays by other authors addressing particular kinds of public spaces: parks, urban beaches, farmers' markets, and community gardens.

This discussion of what makes public places appealing and useful will inspire those involved with public planning and design.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-01-18

Mark Childs really knows how to write about Civic Spaces. Highly recommend this book.

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New York City 2008 Square Wall Calendar
BrownTrout Publishers
Manufacturer: BrownTrout Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar

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Hawaii, Wild & Scenic 2008 Deluxe Wall Calendar

ASIN: 1421626780
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Urban Design: Street and Square, Third Edition

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Urban Design: Street and Square, Third Edition
J C Moughtin
Manufacturer: Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0750657170

Book Description

This book, part of a series of four, offers a detailed analysis of urban design, covering the streets, squares and buildings that make up the public face of towns and cities. It outlines the theory of the principal features of urban design from which method is developed and provides a better understanding of the main elements of urban design. This includes the arrangement, design and details of the streets and squares, and the roles they play in city planning.

This third edition includes chapters on "Sustainable Urban Design" and "Visual Analysis", introducing the latest theories and influences in the field and bringing greater practical significance to the book. Cliff Moughtin explores the street and square in terms of function, structure and symbolism and examines fine examples in their historical context. These are set against the background of the laws of urban design composition, culled from Renaissance and modern writers.

* Gain an understanding of the detail of urban design from towns and buildings to squares and streets
* Learn from examples in their historical context and see the evolution of urban design
* New case studies help relate theory to practice

The City and the Theatre: The History of New York Playhouses: A 250 Year Journey from Bowling Green to Times Square

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The City and the Theatre: The History of New York Playhouses: A 250 Year Journey from Bowling Green to Times Square
Mary Henderson
Manufacturer: Back Stage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0823006379

Book Description

Remarkably well researched and immensely entertaining, this definitive history of theater in New York City spans more than three centuries and relates the development of theater to the social, political, economic, and cultural climate of the time. Readers learn that it was in 1699 that a petition was first made for a license to perform plays in Manhattan and that 30 years later the first theater opened in Manhattan. From colonial New York, the story continues through the 20th century to the birth, and rebirth, of the theater district in Times Square and the revitalization of 42nd Street in the mid-1990s. An A to Z listing of every Broadway theater ever to exist is also included. Each listing features a photograph or illustration of the theater, its address, the architect, the opening production, historical information, and, if applicable, when the theater was demolished.

It Happened on Washington Square (Center Books on Space, Place, and Time)

Average customer rating:

It Happened on Washington Square
lively history
a wonderful history

It Happened on Washington Square (Center Books on Space, Place, and Time)
Emily Kies Folpe
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801870887

Book Description

The heart of New York City's Greenwich Village, Washington Square Park has been a vital public space for nearly two centuries. Lined by elegant townhouses, anchored by Stanford White's iconic Washington Arch, and used by students and professionals, dog walkers and musicians, chess players and toddlers, the park is both an oasis from and an ideal of urban life. Synonymous with the city's artistic identity, the park has also witnessed waves of political and social unrest, and served as a focal point for contentious debates about the future of urban development. This rich and colorful history is captivatingly told by Emily Kies Folpe in It Happened on Washington Square.

Farmed by New Amsterdam's freed African slaves in the seventeenth century, the park was used as a potter's field and dueling ground in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War and then converted into a parade ground for the city's volunteer militia in 1826. Since the 1830s, when it formed the nucleus of an upscale community, Washington Square has been an incubator for American art and a haven for writers, painters, sculptors, and architects. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the area began to attract the artists and political radicals--from John Reed to the Beats--who gave the Square a counter-cultural aura it still possesses. In recent decades, the Square's residents have united against such threats to their neighborhood as the urban redevelopment proposed by Robert Moses and the expansion of New York University. Illustrated with a remarkable selection of historic images, It Happened on Washington Square explains why the survival of this unique public space is so important.

Customer Reviews:

It Happened on Washington Square.......2006-01-16

I lived for a time, in the Village, during the 60`s, at times in a haze. Therefore I never got to know the Square and her glorious history,so this book gave me an insight to a wonderful place and the many historical events that took place there. It is well written, and the reader knows, the writer has a very close connection to the Village and the Square and Her people. G.F.St.J. Connecticut.

lively history.......2002-12-06

This is a lively history of Washington Square Park from its beginnings to its present embodiment. It is also a pocket history of some of the notabale events in NYC itself. The book is written in a highly readable style and filled with pictures tracing the history of the park. A veritable who's who of NYC politicians and artists parade through the pages illustrating the central role played by the park during NYC's development.
Dr. Folpe thorough research illuminates the text without bogging down in acedemic trivia. This is a fascinating history for anyone who loves New York City or is curious as to how it became the art center of the country.
I would recommend this book as a most enjoyable and informative read.

a wonderful history.......2002-11-24

Folpe spent years going through archives and talking to locals to unearth a detailed history of Washington Square. Her research paid off. This is technically an academic book, but the prose is so engaging and lively that anyone who has even a remote interest in Washington Square will enjoy this.

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