EMPIRE STATE EDITIONS
New York, New York *(the city so nice they named it twice)
Empire State Editions appeals to a diverse audience from local New Yorkers to those interested in our vibrant city from anywhere in the world.
The Bronx is up, but the Battery's down
The people ride in a hole in the groun'
New York, New York, it's a wonderful town!
Books in the Empire State Editions highlight the beauty, culture, diversity, and history of New York and the never-ending thirst for information about this global metropolis such as:
Boss of Black Brooklyn
America's Last Great Newspaper War
Eunice Hunton Carter
The Kingdom Began in Puerto Rico
Notable New Yorkers of Manhattan's Upper West Side
NEW THIS Spring
Explores four centuries of colonization, land divisions, and urban development around this historic landmark neighborhood in West Harlem.
“Over the years, several books and projects have attempted to capture the essence of Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill, and thankfully, with Davida Siwisa James, the legendary community has its griot. She brings a fresh veneer, a lively descriptive narrative to this timeless section of Harlem. To be sure, the dramatic moments of the past are invoked and then lavishly alloyed with the neighborhood's current vibrancy.”
—Herb Boyd, The Harlem Reader
“Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill traces the transformation of New York’s West Harlem community from the ancestral hunting grounds of the Lanape Indians into the cultural mecca of Black America. Davida Siwisa James narratives with pictures of one of America’s most prolific neighborhoods. Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill produced American icons like the writer James Weldon Johnson, the scholar George Edmund Haynes, the boxing champ Joe Louis, and the 20th century composer George Gershwin. But beyond that, this book makes an important contribution by showing how one small American neighborhood impacted New York’s culture, politics, and arts.”
—Bruce D. Haynes, University of California
Praise for Empire State Editions
“In presenting lively...case studies of what he regards as the most important unbuilt lines, Mr. Raskin encourages his readers to think about the adaptable nature of the city.”—Wall Street Journal
"Pamela Hanlon in her new book about the UN and New York City's evolving relationship. . . gives the sweeping developments surrounding the UN a particular locality and tells the story of postwar internationalism in a readable, human way."
—The Nation
“. . . Thanks to Campo's unbiased writing, this is a great book of what the city used to be.”
—Ink New York
"Minutely detailed. . . a 'case study' of the promises and drawbacks of pluralism.”—The New York Times Book Review
“In 'Walking New York', essayist Stephen Miller takes a look at the city's literary perambulators, examining the writing of Stephen Crane, Alfred Kazin and Teju Cole, among others, and offering an evolving portrait of New York through the centuries. 'Each Writer' Mr. Miller says in the book's preface, 'wanders a different city'.”
—The New York Observer
In the News
Dorothy Day: Woman and Mother
The story of Dorothy Day is a familiar one to Catholics. Dorothy Day is one of the most well-known Catholic Icons in America. Her work with the poor remains a model and standard for charity work, and in 2000 she was given the title Servant of God by the Catholic …
University Press Week 2016: Celebrate Community!
Before the Fires—A True Community Product By Professor Mark Naison The response of people in the Bronx and neighboring communities to Before the Fires: An Oral History of African American Life in the Bronx from the 1930’s to the 1960’s (Fordham University Press) has been one of the most gratifying …
Pamela Lewis discusses black empowerment in the classroom
“Instilling black pride is not a threat. It is a necessity.” In an interview with The Huffington Post, author and educator Pamela Lewis discusses the imperative of black empowerment in America’s urban schools. Pamela Lewis isn’t like most of her fellow teachers. Lewis is black. She’s from the North Bronx …
Dorothy Day's New Step Towards Canonization
On April 19th, the Archdiocese of New York released a press release regarding an update in Dorothy Day’s progress towards possible sainthood. The Catholic Worker founder, who was named a “Servant of God” back in 2000 when the Vatican opened up the canonization process, is now under consideration to be elevated from “Servant of God” to “Venerable.”
The Element of Surprise
By Pamela Lewis, author of Teaching While Black: A New Voice on Race and Education in New York City (forthcoming in March 2016) It’s a few days after Christmas. Videos of children frenziedly shucking wrapping paper, ribbon and boxes for the gifts held inside fill my Facebook and Instagram feed …