New York Deco (Deluxe Edition)

Buy new: $125.00 $75.81 Buy used: $75.00

Editorial Reviews

New York calls to mind many things: the Chrysler Building with its innovative design and sunburst pattern, the Empire State building with its amazing views and dominating size, Rockefeller Center seamlessly merging commerce and art. Each of these cherished pieces of New York were created during one of the city's most stylish and dazzling decades: the 1920s and 30s. New York Deco profiles this magnificent period of creativity in architecture when art deco thrived with its emphasis on machinetooled elegance and sleek lines. Many of the New York City landmarks were born of this age, as well as dozens of lesser-known office buildings and apartment houses. Together, they make the skyline of the Big Apple what it is today.

Richard Berenholtz's "extraordinary" and "voluptuous" photographs have offered the best of New York in the large scale New York New York and Panoramic New York and now brilliantly highlight the finest examples of NYC's art deco architecture. Berenholtz's photography is accompanied by text from writers, artists, and personalities of the era, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Ogden Nash, and Frank Lloyd Wright to create a wonderful celebration of the era. A perfect gift for the New Yorker and tourist alike, this gem of a book is a window into one of city's most divine periods.

This new edition is deluxe in every way: it is 25% larger, has a cloth case with foil stamping encased in a cloth slipcase, also with foil stamping, and a hand-tipped image, with shrinkwrapping. It contains six gatefolds not included in the original edition, bringing the new page count to 184 from 160 pages. Includes a limited edition print of the Chrysler Building, signed and number by the photographer. Limited to 5,000 copies.

Customer Reviews

ART DECO IN THE NYC, 2008-11-17
by Shannon Deason (Houston)

Let me state straight up, I love Art Deco architecture, the elegance the high style, it reeks of class. The photography in this book is spectacular, granted it helps that the subject matter is breathtaking. This is the Deluxe addition and is priced as such. It comes autographed and it has a limited edition run. As for as im concerned it is totally worth the price, this is the kind of book that will increase in value because book collectors appreciate fine books and amazing photography. To no surprise my favorite images in this book are of the iconic Chrysler Building and the equally impressive Rockefeller Center. Art Deco symbolizes at time in america of dreams crushed and dreams created. Rockefeller Center was Jr's way of helping put Americans to work during the Depression and the Chrysler Building represents Art Deco before the depression, the limitless possiblities and the reaching for the heavens. If you have any interest at all in Art Deco, then I cant imagine you not wanting this to have pride of place in your book collection. Highly recommended.

As good as it gets, 2008-10-22
by Iñaki Vinaixa

Richard Berenholtz does it again! He's managed to put together another great testament of New York City in photographs. This time however we get to enjoy many details rarely seen and often overlooked of the city's vast art deco history. The images are exquisite, rich in color and texture and beautifully composed. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates New York City and the eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism found in its architecture and interior design. I can't wait for his next book to add to my collection.

Gorgeous photos suitable for art and architecture libraries, 2008-10-09
by Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

The deluxe edition of NEW YORK DECO coincides with the 75th birthday of the Rockefeller Center and comes in an illustrated slip-cased, limited-edition book with a print signed and numbered by the photographer. Richard Berenholtz's photos profile the architecture of New York during its most stylish decades, from the 1920s to the 1930s. They are gorgeous photos suitable for art and architecture libraries and highly recommended for any collection with an interest in New York City.

The living Deco city, 2007-05-13
by Robin Benson

The lovely Rockefeller Center rightly kicks of this photographic Deco tour of New York. The exteriors of the six buildings have delights everywhere, for all to see, too.

The book though is very generalised and probably aimed at the tourist market because it has no contents, index or bibliography. What it does have are plenty of close-ups of the detail work that seems to adorn so many Manhattan buildings, frequently way above street level so that these gems are mostly missed. There is a super shot of one of the Chrysler eagles on pages 148-9, or the ornamental metalwork of a lightning bolt and a bird on the General Electric Tower, page fifty-one.

The one hundred and thirty eight photos are all in color and each has an informative caption. Between the photos text pages contain thoughts on Big Apple by a variety of writers and historical personalities, which again suggest the title is really a keepsake aimed at the visitor.

A similar photo book by Carla Breeze New York Deco, though lacking in so many close-ups takes a more guide book approach with copy and photos covering commercial, residential, entertainment, public and religious buildings plus an index and bibliography. If your curiosity goes further David Garrard Lowe's fascinating Art Deco New York, sums it all up within a serious historical perspective.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.