I REALLY wanted to love this book. New York City is one of my favorites to visit and finding someone who had delved into the hidden alcoves and alleyways to tell the untold stories was such an amazing draw for me. The information within was meticulously researched as many things were learned throughout the text, but I had a horrible time getting truly immersed in the writing that Kevin Dann was providing. I am currently a Master's student and have quite a few textbooks that are in the rotation, so unfortunately I felt that Enchanted New York: A Journey along Broadway through Manhattan's Magical Past, read more like a textbook. Maybe if I wasn't already reading several at the time of this book, it would have been more appealing. I think many people will be delighted with the intricate details provided, but it was not one for me.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I guess I should have read the full description of this book before requesting it. As a NY/History/anything paranormal fanatic, I should have loved this book.. but I didn't. The content was too matter-of-fact and the information did not include enough visual support.
I did learn quite a lot about New York's magical/esoteric/dark past. What shocked me the most was all the content regarding eugenics. I had no idea there was such a thing and that professionals used to gather to discuss this unnatural practice.

Kevin Dann's Enchanted New York is not nearly as enchanting as I had hoped.  The book considers the presence of everything from mesmerism and phronology to Freemsonry and Spiritalusm from 1789 to the present occuring in a variety of places throughout New York. Dann's text is a strange combination of the academic and the magical--a blending that left me frustrated.  Nevertheless, the topic of Enchanted New York is fascinating and readers especially interested in the academic study of mystical beliefs and practices will want to look through this volume.

A meticulously researched alternative travel guide/history to Manhattan. Dann traces New York's magical past--including mesmerism, psychoanalysis, seances, etc.--coupling locations with the stories linked to them, as well as archival images. 

It's easy to think of New York as a center of commerce, publishing, theatre, etc., but this book adds another component to New York's storied past. I requested it during the height of the first wave of the pandemic, when New York was hard hit, imagining by the time I read it, I would be free to travel to New York again. No such luck, but it whetted my appetite to return to New York for a different kind of sightseeing.

As an archivist, I cannot even fathom the amount of research this comprehensive book required. I am in awe. #EnchantedNewYork #NetGalley

I was really excited to read this book. I love history and I love all things strange and unusual. So in theory I should have love this book.

But.

I. Was. So. Bored.

The book covers the history of all sorts of things magical and strange from 1789 to the present, chronicling where related events took place in New York throughout history. 

In the first half of the book alone, we read about mesmerism, Freemasonry, Mormonism, phrenology, psychometry, cryptozoology, clairvoyance, and Spiritualism.   The author quotes long passages from esoteric tomes of the day and drops names left and right.

It seems like it should be interesting, but the book has two things going against it:

1) It reads like a textbook. The writing is dry, boring, and longwinded:

"The rise of scientific anthropology and ethnology in the nineteenth century engendered the proliferation of conceptions of and definitions for magic predicated on the explicit and vehement rejection of it as real."
 
And that brings us to 2) The author writes as if he believes all the crazy crackpot humbuggery of the past centuries was in fact real magic. And what makes this really bad is that he comes across as arrogant, insulting the people who disagree with the realism of all this magic, while simultaneously insulting the people who DO believe in the few bits that he himself thinks are fake.

"Phrenology could have become a science and remains as pseudoscience only because our divinatory faculties remain asleep."

Asleep my faculties must remain, at least while reading this book, because instead of intriguing and entertaining me, it really just made me want to take a nap.

Enchanted New York by Kevin Dann is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late October.

Forty-year chapters spanning through 1798-1981 on mesmerism, freemasonry, magic-based disciplines, and those opposed to them, as well as magick locales and places of early advancements in science, collectors of oddities, newsletters, serials, novels, and spirit photography. It's interesting, but scatteringly organized, even with chronological chapters.

I love New York City. I am thoroughly obsessed. I have yet to visit myself, and have been waiting until my daughter is a little bit older, so she will be able to appreciate it as much as I do. As a result of my love for this city I have never been to, any book relating to the history of NYC especially and people/places/events in general, gets my attention immediately.

This would make for a great guide book, if you are interested in the magical side of the City That Never Sleeps. The author takes readers on a ride starting at the Battery and weaving up Broadway, making various pitstops at locations along the way to introduce a whole cast of characters that even many New Yorkers might not know once strolled the sidewalks of the most famous street in the world. We meet magicians, Freemasons, alchemists, seers, spiritualists, occultists, mediums, wizards, and fortune tellers, among many others.

As you can imagine, this is not your average history book. The author begins in 1789, the year George Washington was inaugurated as our first president. From there, the book is split into seven distinct chapters and stays on a roughly chronological course right up to the present day. Within each chapter, the author further breaks down the history by location. There are tons of stories and anecdotes, all related to that wider theme or topic of the chapter.

Personally I found some of the stories more interesting than others, only based on my preference - for example, I am not terribly interested in alchemy. Even so, those stories did not distract from those topics I was interested in.

I do have to say that this did take me longer than usual to get through, but I think that is more due to the nature of the book itself, almost as an encyclopedia of information. Some might be able to read this straight through cover to cover. Others might enjoy it more as one they skip around in, from one entry to another in a different chapter perhaps. I do think the book can be enjoyed either way.

Highly recommended, especially to those who love any and all history of NYC.

New York City is one of my favorite places and I have always felt that it was a magical place, from the views from the Empire State Building to the lights of Broadway.  I have always enjoyed learning more about the history of this fascinating city and this book was no exception.  However, this is not your typical history book.  This book takes you on a tour of the "magical" history of the city starting with George Washington's Inauguration to the Modern Era.

If you love the city and are curious to learn more about its magical past from the Masons to magicians I can not recommend this book enough.  I will never view the city in the same way.

There are scores of books about New York City. But Enchanted New York takes us on a deeper journey into its magical past of Freemasons, occultists and seers. Beginning with Washington’s inauguration, the book charts a real journey down Broadway and forward in time.

Even though travel is discouraged right now due to the pandemic, I feel like I have taken a time machine to travel to old New York by reading this book. If you too feel like you have already visited NYC through the multitude of movies and shows set there, you will enjoy this well-researched look into the history of Enchanted New York. 4 stars!

Thanks to NYU Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unexpectedly earnest and not quite my cup of tea. I love a good trip through NYC but didn't expect this to be about real magic.

I think this is just really not the book for me. It was billed as a history of New York, as well as a travel guide. It actually reads as an anti-science message telling the reader that science is wrong and that magic is what is really happening around us. 

Given the style of the writing, I think that I would have enjoyed this more if it was billed as a fictional travel guide for the actual New York. Because this is written as non-fiction, I struggle to really get into the descriptions of magic throughout New York.

This was a super interesting read! The author gives us a taste of the history and locations in Manhattan through its relationship to magic. It was fascinating, enlightening, and filled with details and information. New York has always been on my bucket list and now I am more excited than ever to visit!

Fascinating and wonderful book!  I have never been to New York, but have always loved reading anything about the city!  Now I am more determined than ever to visit!!

i really enjoyed going through the history of New York, it was amazing that there was so much history from a place that I grew up in.

Who knew?! Now I have another reason to revisit my favorite city! I had no idea so much more magic existed there. I enjoyed the story of the Fox sisters and the Phelps family. Good spooky events. Just in time for Halloween, too. New York is a magical city in it's own right, this book just made it more fun!

New York, the City that Never Sleeps, one of the great metropolises (or is it metropoleis?) of the world, has, unsurprisingly, received plenty of attention from writers of all kinds.  There is certainly no shortage of books dedicated to its boroughs, its history, its architecture, and its protagonists, whether famous or less known.  So what is it that makes Kevin Dann’s book stand out? 

In Enchanted New York, Dann gives us an alternative and esoteric history of the Big Apple, one shaped by a coterie of mavericks ranging from Freemasons to magicians, occultists to scientists dabbling in cryptozoology and spiritualism.   Split in seven chapters, the book follows a roughly chronological sequence from the inauguration of the George Washington in 1789, to the present and beyond.  In the course of his account, however, Dann examines different themes and provides a wealth of anecdotes linking the specific subjects to the city’s locations.

The result is an intriguing book which can be read in one stretch or dipped into at leaisure, a portrait of New York City which, probably, even most of its inhabitants will find surprising and unfamiliar.

I live in NYC, and one of the reasons I love it is how much history there is just under the surface. It's not Rome, where the Coliseum is just right there in the center of town-- it's hidden history, buried in books and under buildings and behind old doors. This great, incredibly researched book absolutely brought some of that history into the light. I know a lot about these subjects already, but most of what Dann uncovered was new to me. I highly recommend this book if you're a lover of history, and particularly a lover of New York.

I have been to New York City two times and I regret not reading this book before visiting there. This book talks about the secret history of New York City and uses some really interesting mediums such as magic to convey information which I Ioved. 
While the book certainly had its share of advantages, I also found it slow at times. Moreover, it was hard for me to get into first but then I began to really like it. 
But maybe that’s because I’m not really into non-fiction books and this is one of the few books that I actually found interesting.

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AUSGABE 	Klappenbroschur
ISBN 	9781479838264
PREIS 	22,50 $ (USD)
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    NYU Press

Rezensionen der NetGalley-Mitglieder
Guinivere B, RezensentIn

Once you read this book, New York will never look the same for you. It is difficult for me to find the precise words to describe how much I enjoyed this read. New York is one of my favorites cities in the world and as an Art historian myself, I am always attracted to the history, beauty and secrets "hidden" in plain sight. This book is about all that. You will discover the secret history of this fascinating city through the eyes of magic (masons, occultists, mediums...) and learn to see the familiar buildings, parks and streets in a different way. 
A must read for all the lovers of the history of New York.

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Tanja F, RezensentIn

This book explores New York City’s magical history, spanning three centuries from 1879 to 1981. New York City has mystified its visitors and natives over the years for its orphic qualities. There is an energy present here that is unlike anywhere else in the world. It’s both spellbinding and intriguing. You can’t help but wonder if there is something bewitching hiding behind the doors of its skyscrapers or if the sidewalks have been imprinted with spells from an ancient grimoire? You cannot deny that New York City is a special city, with an enchanting history that this book sets out to explore. 

Various communities and individuals over the years made New York City home for its magical endeavours. Whether they were for personal gain or to bring about some great change in the world, the city became home to those seeking some greater power. NYC seemed to be a lightning rod for the arcane, the occult, and the peculiar. If a person had a magical practice, chances were, they eventually found their way to the city. 

The author included a map of Manhattan that depicts it from a magical perspective, which was unique and helpful. There are boundless facts and interesting bits of information about various groups and individuals and the magical work they were performing in a city that was fertile with enchantment. Readers will recognize many famous names and landmarks, and will probably be surprised at their occultic history. 

New York City is place where people go to manifest their deepest dreams. There is something about it being a “land of opportunity” that makes it seem like it’s been especially consecrated for that purpose. It’s a city like any other city in the sense that there are tall buildings, and lots of people hustling and bustling, but its energy inspires seekers, dreamers, and opportunists to take their spectral ideas and turn them into something real and tangible. How magical is that?

A fascinating read for lovers of New York City or for those interested in the history of magic.

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Elaine L, RezensentIn

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Enchanted New York.

I love magic; magic stories, magic movies, anything that deals with the magical and occult, I'm all in!

Enchanted New York really appealed to me as a born and bred New Yorker. The author draws upon the esoteric and unusual, the imaginative and the hucksters, at a time when New York was the land of opportunity, greed and capitalism.

Copious research went into this book as the author reveals tons of facts about people and places, famous landmarks and just as many famous people.

I'm not surprised at New York's magical history; it is one of the greatest cities in the world.

And, I'm not just saying that because I love my hometown.

The writing was good, but the tone was drier than I expected. 

If you enjoy reading about a city's occult history, pick up Enchanted New York.

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Veronica M, RezensentIn

Enchanted New York Book is written as a tour through a past throughout the time in New york. Especially in nostalgic areas while going through different areas, with actions of state specific ( Like the American revolution time), philosophical and magic wise of New York also esoteric, supernatural and unexplainable. Also politics, science, mesmerism, phrenology, pseudoscience, ouija boards and their inventions physiognomy, divination otherworldy spirits. This Book got a bit out of hand in criticizing other people, their inspiration for their craft or characters.

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Phoebe E, RezensentIn

Enchanted New York is a really interesting look at history and locations of Manhattan through the lens of its relationship to magic in all its historical forms. From magnetism to spiritualism, fortune telling to Free Masons and beyond, Dann's book is an interesting way of viewing Manhattan in a new and dynamic way that brings to life an enchanting past (and present). The book is broken down by topic and then by location, which provides a great mix of micro-stories for each location that all connect into broader themes. All of these different stories were quite interesting to read about, and I found the content to be well-researched and intriguing. My main qualm was just that the book was a bit slow to get through. It's best suited to be casually flipped through from time to time, rather than being a book one reads straight through. For that, I found it to be great. But as a book to read from front-to-back, it just didn't hold my attention for too long. That being said, those who love Manhattan and its history will certainly find an interesting side to the city in this book, and I'd highly recommend it to those looking to see the city in a new and magical way.

Meine Meinung:
... I love New York like crazy - and it was very interesting to read, because you have LOTS of information wih a few illustrations - I prefer more of the illustrations, but that´s only my taste. I would recommend this book to all my fellow New York Lovers out there... there is so much else to see and know than just the tourist stuff.

Note: 2 or B-

Thanks for letting me read this ARC about the City that never sleeps, the opinion is mine!

A city known all over the world, a place that everyone dreams of visiting: New York. Through enchanted New York, the readers have the chance to connect to a city that they might not even have visited before.

Enchanted New York offers a very different history of what you might have been used to in books. A magical Manhattan in all its glory unravels before your eyes, and the words create feelings that will sweep you away.

Enhanced New York is a great book to read and to keep close, both for those who've traveled there before, and for those who've only dreamed of it so far. A recommended read.