"15 Walking Tours" is a treasure trove of information about New York City. It is heavy on neighborhood by neighborhood facts, nearly to the point of overload. There are virtual building by building narrations! "15" is also loaded with historical anecdotes. The author seems immersed in fascination with old NYC department stores from the halcyon days of the "carriage trade". That was when New York was really New York! The text is also buttressed by some wonderful old historical photos. Serious work went into this publication and it shows. There are some factual glitches: The text misstates the tenure of former Mayor Wagner (it was 1954-1965) and misdescribes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial next to 55 Water Street. The plaza has been upgraded substantially in recent years. It had fallen into disgraceful disrepair. There are other slips but this reviewer would give the author a pass here. This is New York and there is so much to keep track of. The question here is who will use "15"? This is not for the casual tourist. Only the most dedicated need apply. Potential applicants for becoming a licensed tour guide come to mind! This reviewer is awarding 4 stars based on the serious nature of the text and the amount of research involved. "15" has been around since 1975; silent testimony that many have found it useful, if not casual reading.

I took my first walk today, taking one of the tours in the book, Greenwich Village. Although the book led me through a nice, interesting tour, it committed an unpardonable sin. At one point on the tour, the map did NOT match the textual guidance. It was only a few blocks off, but this is a mistake that should be caught prior to publishing.

I learned more about Manhattan's Lower East Side in this book, than any other in my collection. As a licensed, NYC tour guide, this is now the first book I go to, the ultimate reference. 15 neighborhoods are highlighted with solid information on the architecture of hundreds of buildings as well as nuggets of fascinating stories. Read about how one now defunt NYC Dept. store shipped an albino elephant to one skeptical customer. All true! Anyone studying for the NYC sightseing exam needs to have this book in their collection.

There is only one word to describe this book: Sloppy. So sloppy that you have to ask yourself if the author has ever taken his own tour.

I don't know if the blame falls to the author, or publisher McGraw Hill, for failing to edit this book.

I pulled a page (142) from a neighborhood I happen to know something about and found these errors on a single page:

# 21 "The former Metropolitan Savings Bank", opened in 1867 not 1868. He uses the apprehensive phrase "attributed to Carl Pfeiffer." A newspaper article about the grand opening day of this building as a bank reports it as May 21, 1867, and declares that the builder is Carl Pfeiffer.

Then he repeats an urban myth from a discredited revisionist "historian" that McSorley's Old Ale House did not open in 1854, but in 1862. He goes on to describe the items "on the grimy sheet-tin walls." The bar has no tinned walls. (With the exception of the lavatories) Step inside if you are going to describe the inside!

Save your money. McGraw Hill did when it came to hiring an editor to check his facts. Buy the AIA guide and make your own tour. Although the old photos are pretty good, they are not quite enough to be the saving grace here. Wolfe gets the addresses right, but if this one page is any indication., no one checked his historical facts, and that makes me even more surprised by the American Heritage review of this work.

This is the best guide of its kind which I have seen. Wolfe is thorough, engaging, sometimes funny and a joy to read. As a tour guide I have read many books on NYC, and this is one of my favorites. Unlike many other authors, he pays more than lip-service to the outer boroughs, and also offers a good guide to Roosevelt Island.

Let's see an updated edition!!!