cover image GHOSTS OF 42ND STREET: A History of America's Most Infamous Block

GHOSTS OF 42ND STREET: A History of America's Most Infamous Block

Anthony Bianco, . . Morrow, $25.95 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-688-17089-9

Business writer Bianco (Rainmaker: The Saga of Jeff Beck, Wall Street's Mad Dog ) evokes many wonderful "ghosts" in his moving and dramatic story of the block that runs between Broadway and Eighth Avenue on 42nd Street (although the book is about the entire Times Square area). He starts with impresario Oscar Hammerstein, the German immigrant who built 10 splendid theaters in Manhattan between 1888 and 1914 (and whose fame was eventually eclipsed by that of his grandson, lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II). With dry humor and an admirable lack of sentimentality, the author surveys 42nd Street/Times Square from its heyday as an entertainment center, through its long decline, to its recent revival despite greedy promoters and reluctant politicians, whom he's not loath to name. Some readers may feel Bianco goes into too much financial detail about the deals that led to Disney and others transforming the street into the family-friendly place it is today, but theater lovers will find his comprehensive account the perfect house seat to a glorious past and a promising future. Photos not seen by PW . Agent, Esther Newberg. (Apr. 13)

FYI: Since 2004 is the centennial year of Times Square (formerly Longacre Square), it's no surprise to find another title on the same subject, James Traub's The Devil's Playground: A Century of Profit and Pleasure in Times Square (Forecasts, Feb. 16).