First published 2009
Landscape ecologist Eric Sanderson takes on an extraordinary challenge: reimagining Manhattan as it existed when Henry Hudson first glimpsed it on September 12, 1609. Over more than ten years, Sanderson developed a method to strip away four centuries of urban development and reveal the wild island beneath modern New York City. He matches an 18th-century landscape map to today's street grid, mines historical documents and archaeological evidence, then applies ecological principles and computer modeling to rebuild the past. The result brings back the forests that once covered Times Square, the meadows that stretched across Harlem, and the wetlands that filled lower Manhattan. Through detailed illustrations, readers can see exactly what this lost landscape looked like 400 years ago. Sanderson's work provides both a vivid window into Manhattan's natural history and a vision for creating greener urban spaces in the future.
Genres: history, nature, environment, non-fiction, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-nonfiction, reimagining-the-past
Setting: Manhattan, New York City, Times Square, Harlem
Period: 1609, 18th-century, 400 years ago
352 pages · Hardcover · Harry N. Abrams