Mapping Manhattan: A Love (and Sometimes Hate) Story in Maps by 75 New Yorkers

Becky Cooper

Apr 2013 · Abrams

About this ebook

  Armed with hundreds of blank maps she had painstakingly printed by hand, Becky Cooper walked Manhattan from end to end. Along her journey she met police officers, homeless people, fashion models, and senior citizens who had lived in Manhattan all their lives. She asked the strangers to “map their Manhattan” and to mail the personalized maps back to her. Soon, her P.O. box was filled with a cartography of intimate narratives: past loves, lost homes, childhood memories, comical moments, and surprising confessions. A beautifully illustrated, PostSecret-style tribute to New York, Mapping Manhattan includes 75 maps from both anonymous mapmakers and notable New Yorkers, including Man on Wire aerialist Philippe Petit, New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov, Tony award-winning actor Harvey Fierstein, and many more.

Praise for Mapping Manhattan:

“What an intriguing project.”—The New York Times

“A tender cartographic love letter to this timeless city of multiple dimensions, parallel realities, and perpendicular views.” —Brain Pickings

“Cooper’s beautiful project linking the lives of New Yorkers is one that will continue to grow.” —Publishers Weekly online

Ratings and reviews

I really enjoy the concept of the maps but they're printed so small and in such low def you can barely read what's written on them, even with zoom. There's not much more to the book if you can't make out the maps. Disappointing.

About the author

Becky Cooper is an award-winning writer and cartographer. Born and raised in Queens, she recently graduated from Harvard University with a degree in comparative literature. She is the creator of the website mapyourmemories.com, and lives in New York. New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik is a three-time National Magazine Award winner and the author of multiple national bestsellers, including Paris to the Moon.; Adam Gopnik,staff writer for the New Yorker, is a three-time National Magazine Award winner and author of many books, including Paris to the Moon and Through the Children’s Gate.