A competent account of the origins of place names in New York and its surrounding area.

If you’re very into New York City history like I am, you’ll already be familiar with most of what’s in this book. Much of it is oft-discussed in books that cover the evolution of the city , so there’s no much to gain from this one aside from the occasional anecdote for readers who already possess a solid background on the topic.

As one such reader, I had hoped for more (be that in the form of more in-depth examination of place names or more obscure and little-known pieces of research. Thus it was a perfectly acceptable read (well written, responsibly researched), but not what i was hoping for and not especially educational for me.

If you are new to the history of New York, this book would be an excellent place to start. The organization of the information is a little disjointed and could have been better, but it reads well, the research is more than sound, and it’s packed with information.

"Names of New York" by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro is a wonderfully written, deep-dive into the history of the place names of New York. By exploring the toponyms of New York place names, Jelly-Schapiro is able to tell the story of not only the city itself, but the people, events, and time periods that shaped it into what we know today.

This book is a great read for anyone interested in North American history or New York City's history! As a genealogist with roots in New Amsterdam, I found this book very helpful for understanding the contexts in which my ancestors lived.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Joshua Jelly-Shapiro, and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book!

Absolutely loved this. Like a combination of the Bowery Boys podcast the The Address Book. Information re: the myriad place names of New York, from the islands themselves down to modern commemorative streets. Would definitely recommend.

This book will be of interest in anyone who has an interest in the history of New York City. The author covers a large number of areas around the city and how they came about to have the names that they do. His writing style is engaging and humorous at times. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

Such a great read for all of us loving NYhistory I’m a nerd and a history buff and loved reading this book. Wish I had all this in my arsenal when I taught Social Studies in a NYC school.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

This informative history of New York based is exactly my wheelhouse. I love history of places and this is a great one. New York is amazing place and I highly recommend this one.