On Books and Reading and the Literary Life in New York

"In New York City reading is one of the fun things to do--there is no other nation where reading, writing, and talking about books is commonplace. And if you are lucky--lucky to be living here in book country, or just passing through--you might find a small stack of books on a stoop, or in a box on the sidewalk waiting for you. Books someone is giving away."--bell hooks, "A Writer in the Village," Metropolis Found: New York Is Book Country's 25th Anniversary Collection (New York Is Book Country, 2003)

Missing Mayors

The New York Daily News included a pull out Election Day Special called "Kings of the City" (November 3, 2009) that featured a photo of Michael Bloomberg and several past mayors (one photo was misidentified as Robert Wagner). Inside were several photos of each of the mayors on the cover with the exception of Abe Beame and Robert Wagner. The photo department at the paper couldn't dig up any pictures of either mayor? That's strange.