The New York Public Library, A Beaux-Arts Landmark

This small illustrated book elaborates not only on the "great artistic collaboration" that created The New York Public Library's magnificent flagship building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, but also on the cultural and historical influences on its architecture. Among the topics discussed by the author, an architectural historian, are the ornamentation of the Fifth Avenue facade, decorative motifs within the building, the murals on the first and third floors, and many other points about which Library tour leaders are questioned every day. The book is structured so that visitors may use it to guide themselves around the building for a leisurely exploration. The illustrations include several images from the NYPL Archives and elsewhere that have rarely, if ever, been reproduced.