A Journey Into Dorothy Parker's New York

Part biography, part walking tour, Fitzpatrick's meticulously researched first book is an eye-opening account of the life and times of Dorothy Parker and a paean to Old Gotham. Parker's finest work, mostly of verse and short stories for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, as well as her reign as Queen of the Algonquin round table of writers and wits, were integral to literary New York during the Prohibition era when, as writes Fitzpatrick, ""the speakeasies are always hopping, the party is just beginning."" This segment of Parker's life is well-known, and fans will enjoy using the photos and maps to find Parker's many apartments, the Algonquin Hotel, the first office of The New Yorker and The 21 Club, where connoisseurs of fine cocktails can still get a crisp Tom Collins (with non-bathtub gin, even). Casual Parker fans may not know about Parker's stint as New York's first female drama critic (for Vanity Fair), nor her leftist activism that led to her inclusion on McCarthy's black list. Fitzpatrick does an admirable job of summarizing these time periods in the writer's life, and also of capturing Parker's lonely last days, when Gloria Vanderbilt was one of her few friends. Less a guidebook than a loving testimonial and guide to a pioneering New York writer, this book will win Parker-and Fitzpatrick-new fans. Photos.