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​In Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers (Lyons Press), New York City experts James and Michelle Nevius explore the lives of two dozen iconic New Yorkers, including Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, Central Park architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, business titan JP Morgan, and music legend Bob Dylan. Beginning with the oldest building in NYC, a 1652 farmhouse in Brooklyn, and journeying all the way to the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, the book follows in the footsteps of notable New Yorkers across all five boroughs. How did the city help win Abraham Lincoln the presidency? Where in Manhattan did Edgar Allan Poe compose “The Raven”? How was an area like Soho experienced by Mary Todd Lincoln, or Jane Jacobs, or Woody Allen? One part history and one part personal narrative, Footprints in New York traces the city’s story from the Dutch village below Wall Street to the Mean Streets of Martin Scorsese, creating a different way of looking at the past.

James and Michelle Nevius have been leading historical and architectural walking tours of New York City for many years. They are authors of two previous books, Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City and Frommer's 24 Great Walks in New York. 

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"Footprints in New York has some of the sharpest, most informative meditations on the history of the city that I have encountered in a long time." —Edwin G. Burrows, Pulitzer Prize winning co-author of Gotham and author of Forgotten Patriots.



"What makes [the book] so special are the juxtapositions and connections the authors make. I like to scribble in my books, highlighting interesting passages, noting insightful comments, making notes for future reading, etc. When I finished "Footprints," the margins of my copy were covered with asterisks, stars and exclamation points..... By the end of the book, you really feel like you know James and Michelle Nevius and can't help but share their love and enthusiasm for this great city. The final evocative paragraph actually brought me to tears." —from a 5-star Amazon.com review



Advance Praise for
​"Footprints in New York"

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"New York City’s history is fantastically deep and rich. Despite the best efforts of the city’s developers and political powers to obliterate it all, there’s still much of it left to see and many stories to tell—if you have the right guides. You'll find none better than James and Michelle Nevius in this ingeniously conceived, thoroughly informed, and companionably written time machine of a book.”
—John Strausbaugh, author of The Village: 400 Years of Beats and Bohemians, Radicals and Rogues, a History of Greenwich Village  

"With lightly carried erudition and the skills born of guiding many visitors—as well as curious natives—James and Michelle Nevius will take you by the hand and tell you amazing true tales. They are the Marco Polos of New York City."
—Mac Griswold, author of The Manor: Three Centuries at a Slave Plantation on Long Island

"Reading Footprints in New York is like wandering through the city's history with smart friends. The pages are full of compelling details that mesh together in surprising ways, and throughout shines true affection: you sense that Michelle and James Nevius are rightly proud of New York for being America’s most fascinating place."
—TM Rives, author of Secret New York: An Unusual Guide

"I truly love Footprints in New York. I couldn't stop reading, even when I was reading about things I already knew. James and Michelle Nevius made me feel like I was with them on a personal tour." 
—Mitch Broder, author of Discovering Vintage New York: A Guide to the City's Timeless Shops, Bars, Delis, & More.