Reddit mentions: The best landmarks & monuments books

I have quite an extensive library of historical non-fiction books, many of which are both informative and written well. Here is a selection: Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto (a wonderful history of New Netherland and New Amsterdam), A Description of New Netherland (The Iroquoians and their World) by Adriaen Van Der Donck (a stellar account of the flora, fauna of New Netherland and a fascinating sociological look at the Native Americans), The Measure of Manhattan by Marguerite Holloway (the story of John Randel Jr., who surveyed the 1811 Commissioners Map), Manahatta by Eric Sanderson (an amazing look at the natural landscape of Manhattan; he is currently undergoing the same process for the rest of the city, called the Welikia Project), Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America by Sam Roberts (how Grand Central changed not only the city, but the nation) and The Restless City by Joanne Reitano (this historical snapshot of the city goes at a great pace). The standard of excellence, of course, is Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 by Mike Wallace and Edwin Burrows; they are currently working on the second volume.

If you like memoirs, Pete Hamill's Downtown: My Manhattan, which I am reading now, is great.

Fiction-wise, City of Dreams: A Novel of Niew Amsterdam and Early Manhattan by Beverly Swerling painted quite a vivid picture (and, to my delight, had innumerable references to historical figures and events). And everyone needs to read/borrow/torrent Winter's Tale because it is just fucking amazing.

Ah, excellent question!

There is much debate on the subject. There are some authors, such as Timothy Brook who believe that the Yuan and Mongol rule over China disrupted Chinese society. This is evident, according to these historians, by the division of China into four classes, with the majority Han Chinese occupying the lowest rung of this social order. This flipped traditional Chinese culture and ethnic hegemony on its head, drastically affecting the power of Han Chinese over China proper. This discrimination fostered resentment and anger, leading to the eventual founding of the Ming dynasty.

However, I would say that these historians are the minority. Most consider the Yuan dynasty as a legitimate Chinese dynasty, akin to the Qing. The Yuan maintain traditional political structures and cultural practices during their rule, and the leaders of the Yuan dynasty were careful not to portray themselves as Mongol overlords but rather the legitimate and rightful heir to the mandate of heaven, and thus, a legitimate Chinese government as opposed to a imperial fixture within the Mongol Empire. In fact, many structures established and perfected by the Yuan dynasty were continued and tinkered with by the Ming. Furthermore, the Yuan dynasty was instrumental in both the economic and cultural growth of China , connecting the country to larger trade networks and promoting and expanding art, drama, and poetry as well during the period. For more, check out Watt and Guxi's work on the period. Not a lot has been written in English on the subject, though the topic is fairly well contested and discussed in Chinese historiography.

So overall, I think it comes down to what one defines as a "Chinese" dynasty. If we are defining it through some sort of ethnic criteria (which I would not), then no, the Yuan dynasty clearly flipped existing ethnic hierarchies upon their head. However, if we are defining it alongside political and cultural traditions, then yes, the Yuan is a Chinese dynasty despite foreign rule, much like the Qing some three centuries later.

Your trip into Stuy Town is pretty funny--definitely looks like a cut through to get from the East Village to Gramercy/USQ. And I see you wound up near the Verrazano on the Brooklyn side, but not in the neighborhood much otherwise. It's not as urban as some, but it's still quite nice, especially if you walk along the water either north or south from the bridge.

If you're exploring NYC, you might enjoy the Bowery Boys book: https://www.amazon.com/Bowery-Boys-Unconventional-Exploration-Neighborhoods-ebook/dp/B01E2XN3O0. It's not super readable, but if you have it to reference against places you've been in Manhattan, I think you'd enjoy it.

I am reading a book called "The Gateway Arch: A Biography" right now. According to the author, the motivation was complicated. Claiming to want to address urban blight, increasing property values in adjacent areas by having a public space, wanting to draw tourists to the area, etc. It's a good book and I recommend checking your library for it if you can. (If you live in STL County, you can have it when I return it! :) )

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Actually, a couple of the most knowledgeable guides—including the woman who wrote the book—work for Wendella. It's fine to support CAF by paying extra for their tour, but chances are the tour will actually be better on Wendella. CAF uses unpaid volunteers.

Posting again - your question got me searching on Amazon - this book looks great. I'm going to order a copy of rmyself!

https://www.amazon.com/Castles-Their-Construction-History-Architecture/dp/0486248984/

There's a really good book about the restoration, called The Hidden White House. They had tons of excess stuff they gutted and couldn't put back, although they originally tried to take things like the paneling out, store them, to put it back in later. They made paperweights you could buy with pieces of scraps. The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250000270/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2G1bBb5PZHNH7

If you want so.ething comprehensive I recommend this book. Its a more dated reference but still holds up very well, and has a lot of deatil. Castles: Their Construction and History (Dover Architecture) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486248984/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_P0YKub12WXG2P

The same guy who desgined the Eiffel tower designed the Statue of Liberty, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. The fact that it was intended to be given to Egypt prior to Egypt running out of cash is pretty well known, but here's a source from a Historian: https://www.amazon.com/Statue-Liberty-Transatlantic-Story-America/dp/0300149506/

The Bowery Boys: Adventures in Old New York: An Unconventional Exploration of Manhattan's Historic Neighborhoods, Secret Spots and Colorful Characters https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612435572/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_vaQjDbP2YJZP9

Just read a very good book on this subject: "The Hidden White House," by Robert Klara.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hidden-White-House-Reconstruction-ebook/dp/B00CQY9E5K

https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Stepwells-India-Victoria-Lautman/dp/1858946581

These step wells are vanishing

> Inside the Disney parks

This one?

https://www.amazon.com/LIFE-Inside-Disney-Parks-Happiest/dp/1547841869

Here's some towns:
https://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Structures-Coloring-Buildings-Imagined/dp/145215323X/

And I found two townish archetectural coloring books:

https://www.amazon.com/Architectural-Art-Stress-Management-Coloring/dp/1517481295/

https://www.amazon.com/Architectural-Art-Vol-Management-Coloring/dp/1522794956/

That's the line that was pushed by the real estate developers who wanted them demolished in order to decrease supply and thereby raise rents Downtown. The book to read about this is The Gateway Arch: A Biography.

Not Quite what you're looking for, but might give insight into shifts: Capital Losses:A Cultural History of Washington's Destroyed Buildings

>So saying the art was not Kurdish because the artisans were from Mosul is wrong.

I didn't say the art wasn't Kurdish, when are you going to stop putting words in my mouth? I wouldn't be surprised that Kurdish art existed and that there were some degree of influence in some areas, I was responding to your claim of everything about the Ayyubid era's art and culture was obviously influenced by Kurdish culture, which is not correct. This might be a bit shocking to you, but miswrites do happen. The craftsmen were fleeing from Central Asia because of approaching Mongols, not Mosul. They settled in Mosul. Here's your source, they weren't Kurds.

>First of all; Mosul has always had a very large Kurdish population

Beep, wrong again. If this was a game show, you'd already be the loser! Kurdish influx only started after the Islamic conquest of Assyria.

>How am I falsifying history by stating a fact: the Ayyubid Dynasty was a Kurdish Dynasty. Are you denying this?

You're not stating a fact, because it's not correct. It was a Muslim dynasty ruled by leaders who were of Kurdish origins. You know, the same dynasty that's known for fighting the third crusade? The same dynasty founded by a man who said:

>The Caliph is the lord of mankind and the repository of the True Faith; if he were to join us here I should give him all these lands--so what of Shahrazur?

Are you really sitting here and claiming that it was a Kurdish dynasty as opposed to a Muslim one? In all honesty I'm starting to think that you're a troll, that is a really weird thing to do. I'm not trying to be offensive, I'm just perplexed by your claims. Hell, even the Encyclopedia Britannica describes it as a Muslim dynasty. You need to understand that ethnicities did not matter during that time. Saladin did not call himself a Kurd, he called himself a Muslim. He fought for Islam, not Kurds. A majority of the people were Arabs, not Kurds.

 
 

I'd ask you for sources on some of the inane things you've said, like the art they created (depictions of the sun, shahmaran, peacock angle, etc.) but I'm afraid it would only be a waste of my time. I hope some day things get better for you and you're able to get rid of your nationalistic demons. I would also like to recommend the book The Ayyubid Era: Art and Architecture in Medieval Syria, partly authored by Yasser Tabbaa, a very knowledgeable man.

Now, if you excuse me I have to go and brew some tea.