Pulitzer Prize History Winner

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898

by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace

Summary

Burrows and Wallace deliver a monumental history of New York City from its origins as a Dutch trading post to its consolidation as a five borough metropolis in 1898. They cover commerce, immigration, politics, real estate, riots, and culture in exhaustive and vivid detail across centuries of growth. The book became the definitive narrative of how a small colonial settlement became the financial and cultural capital of America.

Historical Context & Significance

Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for History for this first volume of a planned history of New York City.