Quite an interesting and comprehensive study of the Fulton Fish Market and the fishing industry on the East Coast. Historians, foodies, and New York fans should be most interested in this book. For the rest of it, fishing around in the contents for the interesting tidbits can be a lot of fun!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It doesn't stink at all (pun intended).

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I love to learn about the history of a place. I hate fish but thought this sounded like a fun read. And it was, for the most part. I wish I had known about this when I went to NY a few years ago. It was super fascinating to learn how people spied what ships were coming in, how they sold it and the evolution of transporting the fish. But it drug a little bit too much for me. I felt like some of the information wasn’t necessary. That being said, really good read

⭐⭐⭐ -- Great cover!

I honestly don't have a lot to say about this one. It was okay. The history of the fish market was interesting (I wish there had been more of that), but the author lost me with all the commercial fishing stuff. It is just not a subject I am interested in. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Apart from that, the writing was fine (maybe a little repetitive) and it appeared that the author did their research. So do with that what you will.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

The Fulton Fish Market
Author: Jonathan H. Rees
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an interesting book full of history on the Fulton Fish Market as well as commercial fishing. It was interesting to see the evolution of the market as well as advancements in refrigeration and how that impacted the market/demand. Overall, it was a pretty interesting book and would recommend for those who are fans of non-fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley, Columbia University Press, and Jonathan H. Rees for an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I love books that deal with the history of the restaurant or food industry and so when I saw this one I jumped on a chance to read it. This book focused on the history of the market, various troubles with production and supply, the location change and more. I will say there were some parts of the book that were more lack luster or harder to read than others but honestly its a non fiction its not gonna read like a romance novel and that okay.

The Fulton Fish Market by Jonathan H. Rees was an interesting book and it was full of history and is all about the Fulton Fish Market, which is in New York. This history starts from its founding in 1822 through its move to the Bronx in 2005. Jonathan H. Rees the author, explores the market's workings and significance, tracing the transportation, the retailing, and consumption of fish. He tells the stories of the local people and institutions that depended on the Fulton Fish Market-including fishermen, retail stores, restaurants, and chefs. He talks about how the market affected what customers in New York and around the country ate.
Rees examines transformations in food provisioning systems through the lens of a vital distribution point, arguing that the market's wholesale dealers were innovative businessmen who adapted to technological change in a dynamic industry. He also explains how changes in the urban landscape and economy affected the history of the market and the surrounding neighbourhood.

This was an interesting book to read. not my usual read I only picked it because I wanted to learn more about my dad's surname Fulton - This book also came a great Christmas Pressie for him as well.




ulton Fish Market stands out as an iconic New York institution.

This book narrates the history of the Fulton Fish Market going back to the very beginning when the area was used by the Indians for its Oyster beds. The book was okay, but the author spent an inordinate amount of time on the history of commercial fishing leading me to believe that he didn’t have enough material on the Fish Market itself for a book.

I received a free ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

It was only a place of dreams before. A moment captured in the grasp of fishmongers catching literally the best of the day. Here is a book that takes in its journey from a scruffy beginning to the open air marvel it is today. I have walked those aisles and listened to the everyday chatter, only to fast the most magnificent seafood these shores have to offer. A triumph.

You can only quote Joseph Mitchell so many times in a book before it starts making more sense to just go and read something by Joseph Mitchell instead.

This book has some interesting and valuable information if you’re a huge fan of New York City history like I am, but this is one of those nonfiction offerings that probably would have made more sense as a long form article than a full book.

If you’re hugely interested in the general history of commercial fishing, you’re likely to enjoy this more than I did. I was personally more interested in the history of the space itself and in the sociocontextual significance of the market throughout time as it and society evolves, and while those things are well-rendered in the book, there isn’t enough there to justify slogging through the rest.

The research is thorough and thoughtful, and I’ve no issues with the book on that front. The writing, while technically fine, does leave something to be desired. Rather than an immersive social history and captivating narrative nonfiction, the book reads more like a well-conceived book report. It has no real momentum, lacks engaging tone, and is often repetitive.

In all, I’m not unhappy that I read this, but would have appreciated it more in a concise format and with greater focus on social history.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

Admittedly, I had never heard of the Fulton Fish Market before reading this book. Fish markets, sure, but not that specific one. But I'm down for anything food-history adjacent, which this definitely is. And so I embarked on a journey that I never really expected (supply chains, fish, and the mafia, oh my!).

This is definitely a historical narrative about the Fulton Fish Market in New York. Specifically, the older one (although there is a newer, seemingly more industrial one now). From its origins hundreds of years ago, to the various troubles with production and supply, to its eventual move to the Bronx and change of clientele (well sorta, less market, more wholesale it would seem), this book covers what seems to be the entire history.

While it could get dry at times (a failing of non-fiction that focuses on one thing sometimes), overall I thought this book had a lot of interesting facts that were interspersed with pictures and even some anecdotes and facts about how the mob was involved.

If you're interested in historical supply chain, fish, or even just very focused history on New York, this book will be right up your alley.

Review by M. Reynard 2022

I worked at South Street Seaport and got a lot of experience of the Fulton Fish Market, so this book was particularly appealing to me. I appreciated the material on the Rouse Company (my employer) and what the market was like at that time-- particularly the organized crime aspect, which I experienced first hand.

Overall it was a good, well-researched book.

Being a food and wine lover this book offered an insight to the East coasts most prominent fish source, the Fulton market that I enjoyed learning about. Much detail, history and general information from the 1800's until today offers a great insight how important this market is.
A definite read for any foodie, historian or New York lover. I am thrilled to recommend this definite study of the fish industry.

This was fine there’s nothing technically wrong with it I didn’t love it I didn’t hate it I think maybe I just read too much into Sean are lately

Years ago, when I lived in New Jersey, I'd take weekend trips into 'The City' to explore its nooks and crannies. When I mentioned to a friend that I'm always interested in a city's history, I was immediately instructed to visit the Fulton Fish Market, which has been in business since 1822. That was good advice!

Nowadays, I'm living in the Midwest writing fiction books set in the late 1800s. One of my contrived cities has a fisherman's wharf, lots of independent fishmongers, and a fish market. When I saw "The Fulton Fish Market: A History", I grabbed it without hesitation. The Fulton Fish Market had been my original inspiration for my fictional fish market, and here was a golden opportunity to learn about the business in more detail, and kick my own fictional fish market up a notch in future stories.

I was not disappointed. Especially valuable was learning about Alfred E. Smith, who in 1892 climbed on Fulton's roof every morning to look through a telescope at the fishing boats. He knew that if a boat was sitting low in the water, it was full of fish. He even knew where each boat liked to fish and could make an educated guess about what type of fish they were bringing in. This advance knowledge helped the company have a game plan in place even before the first fish was unloaded and put up for sale.

That's the sort of gem a writer goes nuts for.

If you are interested in urban history, or love everything about New York, or are a fishmonger wanting to learn from the best, you're going to love this book. Oh, and if you're a writer, I found it first! Mine!

My thanks to Jonathan H. Rees, Columbia University Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

The Fulton Fish Market gives a comprehensive history of the iconic New York City fish market which was founded in the 1800s. The journey to what the market is today weaves in the history of fish mongering in the US and worldwide. If you are interested in historic institutions and how they come to be, this book is a wonderful read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Columbia River Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be out 12/6/22.