HELL'S KITCHEN: THE ROARING DAYS OF NEW YORK'S WILD WEST SIDE by RICHARD O'CONNOR (Stated First Edition)
J. B. Lippincott Company 1958. A "colorful chapter in the social history of an era and area of New York. It is filled with personalities, places and events never to be forgotten." A history of the New York City neighborhood located between 14th and 52nd Streets and 8th Avenue and "North River". Long before the appearance of Manhattan Plaza, Worldwide Plaza, and the Guliani era, Hell's Kitchen was a cesspool of gangs, prostitutes, and drunkeness. Tough Irish gangs ruled the roost. Tales of tenements, grog shops, slaughter houses, and railroad yards--but also mentions of legit types like Father Duffy and Thomas Wolfe. These folks would never have believed their neighborhood would be cleaned-up, gentrified, and renamed "Clinton".
CONDITION: Interior pages are clean and crisp with tight binding. A couple of small brown spots on first few pages. Some discoloration on front endpaper, Lt green/black cover in nice shape with a little wear top and bottom of spine. Not price-clipped. Dustjacket has wear along all folds. Also wear and a few chips top and bottom of spine. One small tear top of back cover. $20 SOLD!

THE WALDORF-ASTORIA: AMERICA'S GILDED DREAM by WARD MOREHOUSE III
M. Evans and Company, 1991. A complete history of America's and New York City's most famous hotel from its origins as the "Waldorf" in 1893. Includes photographs of the hotel--both the original building which was located on the current site of the Empire State Building, and today's Park Avenue location. Many photographs of famous guests such as Elizabeth Taylor, Cole Porter, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The Waldorf-Astoria was the location for Guy Lombardo's annual New Years Eve celebrations and is now infamous for creating gridlock in the surrounding area when the powerful and hoity toity are in residence. This book is too old to note that one of the hotel's owners, Conrad Hilton, would someday be best known as the great-grandfather of an omnipresent celeb named Paris.
CONDITION: Shelfwear to dustjacket. Interior like new. One small light brown streak on back endpaper. Faint pencil price upper right corner front endpaper. $15

A VENERABLE AND CHERISHED INSTITUTION: THE UNIVERSITY CLUB OF NEW YORK 1865-1990 by Guy St. Clair (First Edition)
The University Club, 1991. First printing. 293 pages. No dustjacket, as issued. Red cover with gold lettering and motif. Marbled end papers. Numerous photographs. The author served as library director at the club and details its history. The club was organized in 1865 to promote the arts and required that all its members have college degrees--we're not talking community college--and, of course, they had to be male. (In 1987, the club finally agreed to admit dames.) The impressive clubhouse building was designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Italian Palazzo style; it is still located at the corner of 54th Street and 5th Avenue. This is a great book if you are a fan of overdone interiors heavy on the marble and gilt, which scream, "We are POWERFUL and RICH!"
CONDITION: Interior is like new, except for a price in pencil upper right corner of first white page (after marbled endpapers). Cover is also near perfect--all I could find as a flaw is the slightest wear at the top edge of the spine and back cover top left corner. $8

NEW YORK: A GUIDE TO THE EMPIRE STATE (WPA AMERICAN GUIDE SERIES)
Oxford University Press, 1962. Eighth Printing. 782 pages, with many photos. Mapped endpapers. A history of New York State prepared by the Federal Writers' project of the Works Progress Administration in New York City. This is not the New York CITY guide, although there is a chapter about the five boroughs. Considering the drastic changes the world has gone through since this guide was copyrighted in 1940, it is amazing that the book is still as useful as it is. It gives you the lowdown on exciting attractions like Niagara Falls, as well as more obscure destinations like Troy. I love the tour section: you can choose a route such as"Albany to Kingston on US 9W" and the guide will tell you all about the history of many of the towns you pass through (or pass by, if you are on some big highway, rather than a funky side road with traffic lights.) Many insightful observations, such as "Newburgh people are gregarious."
CONDITION: Crisp, clean interior pages with tight binding. A few tiny brown spots and slight browning to top edge of map on inside of front cover. Some wear to top and bottom of cloth cover spine. Dustjacket is clipped. Top edge of dustjacket is ragged. Bottom of dj spine is chipped and worn. Ther is a small hole on the front cover on the righthand edge. Some dirt and browning of back cover. $15 SOLD!

ELLIOT MURPHY'S AQUASHOW SOUVENIR PROGRAM (1953)
16 interior pages. Lots of goofy photos. The Aquashow was performed in Queens at the Flushing Meadow Park Amphitheatre (R.I.P.: the building was destroyed in the 1990's). The venue had a 78-foot-diameter revolving stage and a pool filled with 500,000 gallons of water (according to this publication; I have not factchecked that info). "Aquadorable" bathing beauties, fireworks, the "Acquazanie" diving clowns, an orchestra, an Ice-o-rama, and Bobby Knight as Superman...what more could you want in summer entertainment? This year was a salute to New York City's 300th anniversary, so the Statue of Liberty guest stars. COOL MUSIC TRIVIA: The rock musician Elliot Murphy is the son of the Acquashow producer, Elliot Murphy, Sr. Junior's debut album (from 1973) was called Acquashow.
CONDITION: Some wear along all edges. Righthand edge of fromt cover has some small tears and creases. No marks on interior. Water ballet but NO water damage! $6 SOLD!