Unexpected New York

In his latest book on the city that never sleeps, Miller (Café Life New York) offers a glimpse into the businesses, activities, architectural structures, and hidden wonders not usually seen by visitors or even denizens of the city. From a section about a rolling ladder purveyor in Manhattan’s SoHo district to one about the Coney Island Lighthouse, Miller’s New York boasts surprises in its diversity: the mosaic benches around Grant’s Tomb, the welcoming Nuyorican casitas ("little houses") that have sprung up on unsightly vacant lots in the South Bronx. Even seasoned New Yorkers will be shocked by some facets of the city, such as the continued existence of urban slaughterhouses: a photo of caged lambs awaiting slaughter is juxtaposed with an image of a butcher’s scale. On the cheerier side, with Spear’s lively photographs of the Trapeze School and lush grapes on a farm in Queens punctuating Miller’s informative narration, this lovely coffee-table book will provide a plethora of talking points about this quirky, astonishing city. (July)