Union Settlement Hall on East 104th Street (c. 1900).

Union Settlement House Records, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University

Perhaps no city on earth evokes images as powerful as those associated with New York. Its skyline and its icons—the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, Yankee and Shea stadiums, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Staten Island Ferry, Coney Island, and Grand Central Terminal—are famous throughout the world. Even the streets are symbolic—Fifth Avenue epitomizes shopping, Broadway and theater are inseparable, Madison Avenue evokes images of advertising, Seventh Avenue is the center of fashion, and Wall Street is synonymous with finance. As the so-called “capital of capitalism,” New York has long been one of the largest and most important cities in the world.

New York City's significance is indisputably far-reaching, long lasting, and diverse. The city's current profile and vibrant history merit accurate recording in a form useful to policy makers, scholars, teachers, urban specialists, and anyone interested in this fascinating metropolis. For these reasons, The Encyclopedia of New York City was created.

The need for an encyclopedia dedicated to the nation's largest and most famous city, one useful to researchers and general readers alike, was first recognized by Edward Robb Ellis, a newspaperman and the author of The Epic of New York City (1966).

In 1982, the late Edward Tripp conceived of what would later develop into The Encyclopedia of New York City as it exists today. John G. Ryden, director of the Yale University Press, joined Tripp in support of the project. History professor Kenneth T. Jackson of Columbia University enthusiastically agreed to be its editor in chief. Together they established an advisory committee and decided to create a historical reference in one comprehensive volume. They compiled a list of entry topics and contacted scholars and specialists to provide their expertise.

Baseball in Washington Heights (2004).

Columbia University DKV

In 1995, Yale University Press and the New-York Historical Society copublished this groundbreaking reference book with 4,288 entries on the history, people, and culture of the largest metropolis in the United States. It was an instant success, selling out its first printing of 25,000 copies before its publication date, winning four awards for reference excellence, and earning critical acclaim around the world. To date, it has gone through four additional printings and has sold more than 70,000 copies. It remains one of the top-five sellers in the century-long history of Yale University Press.