John Tauranac

John Tauranac writes on New York City's social and architectural history, and he taught the subject at New York University's School of Continuing & Professional Studies. His books include Manhattan's Little Secrets, the three editions of New York From the Air, The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark, and Elegant New York: The Builders and the Buildings, 1885-1915. Tauranac has written articles for the New York Times, New York Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Seaport Magazine, and more. Wearing another hat, Tauranac designs maps. His first published maps were New York Magazine's "Undercover Maps" of Midtown and Lower Manhattan. He was the creative director of the MTA's 1979 "New York City Subway Map," and he has designed dozens of maps for other organizations as well as for Tauranac Maps.He lives with his wife, Jane Bevans, on Manhattan's Upper West Side and in West Cornwall, Connecticut.