A new book on Staten Island history that was co-edited by Wagner College history professor Lori Weintrob has been released. The book, “Discovering Staten Island: A 350th Anniversary Commemorative History,” was prepared in conjunction with SI-350, the organization responsible for the year-long observance of the anniversary of Staten Island’s settlement by Europeans in 1661. Professor Weintrob co-chairs SI-350.
The 224-page illustrated book consists of hundreds of capsule summaries of the history of specific sites, personalities, incidents and institutions in Staten Island’s past. The capsules were contributed to the project by dozens of writers from throughout the community.
“This little island in the bay of New York is a very special place,” writes Staten Island Borough Historian Thomas Matteo in the preface. “It has given birth to and attracted to its shores many famous people from all walks of life.”
Readers will walk in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin, Susan B. Anthony, Langston Hughes, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and the Dalai Lama; visit Revolutionary War sites; relive the entrepreneurial drive and inventiveness of business and medical pioneers; and imagine the lives of Irish, Norwegian, Italian, Sri Lankan and Liberian immigrants.
Staten Island’s shores are awash in history, from Lenape trails to Dutch and French farms, from the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company to legendary sports figures and quaint historic districts. Their struggles, hardships, triumphs and achievements, in spectacular and everyday Staten Island locations, are brought to life in vivid detail in “Discovering Staten Island.”
“This guidebook encourages readers, whether tourists or residents of New York City, whether born here or off-Island, to rethink and rediscover the many fascinating places on Staten Island, and in so doing, to understand better its place in the history of New York City, the region and the world,” wrote Professor Weintrob and her co-editor, Kenneth M. Gold, in their introduction to the book. “We emphasize the unique past of each neighborhood, organization and business listed, but also the astonishing ways in which they connect to major themes in American and global history and join us to each other.”
A launch reception for “Discovering Staten Island,” organized by the SI-350 committee, will be held at Little Shop Studios (www.littleshopstudios.com), 864 Post Ave., Staten Island, on Tuesday, April 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. The reception is free, and the public is invited. Copies of the book, whose cover price is $19.99, will be available for purchase at the reception at a discount.
Copies of “Discovering Staten Island” are currently available for purchase at the Staten Island Barnes & Noble bookstore, the Wagner College bookstore, Historic Richmond Town and the Staten Island Museum. Copies can also be ordered online for $14.39 (plus shipping) from Barnes & Noble.
For more about Professor Weintrob’s new book, see the review below from the March 13 issue of the Staten Island Advance.
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2011