Download or read book New York 400 written by The Museum of the City of New York and published by Running Press. This book was released on 2009-09-08 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The year 2009 is a landmark in the history of New York, and America. It's the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival along the river that bears his name. With public initiatives and media attention on commemorative events and exhibits at a fever pitch throughout the year, the stage is set for New York 400, a one-of-a-kind celebration of the greatest city in America. With unprecedented access to the Museum of the City of New York's vast archive, this is a visual history of the city of New York like none other, focusing not merely on landmarks but also on everyday life in the city over the past four centuries. The people, arts, culture, politics, and drama unfold through hundreds of rarely seen photographs and a fascinating profile of the city that never sleeps. Featuring essays from leading historians of the distinct epochs of Gotham, this volume takes us from the days of Director-General Petrus Stuyvesant in the seventeenth century through to mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg in the modern melting pot that is New York in the twenty-first century. The Museum of the City of New York has a unique mandate—to explore the past, present, and future of New York, and to celebrate the city's heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation. Its unparalleled collections, including photography, sculpture, costumes, toys, and decorative arts, enable the museum to present a variety of exhibitions, public programs, and publications investigating what gives New York its singular character.