A wooded island upon the border of a vast, unexplored, picturesque wild, three thousand miles from civilization, becomes within three centuries the seat of the arrogant metropolis of the Western world. -Martha J. Lamb, in the Preface From the earliest mentions of Manhattan island by the first European adventurers in the New World to the city's bustling pre-Revolutionary expansion, this first volume of an extraordinary three-volume history of New York remains an informative and entertaining resource today. Volume 1 brims with exciting tales of the founding of the most famous city in the world, and sings with names that New Yorkers and its devotees will instantly recognize from the landmarks and place names they left behind: Henry Hudson, Peter Minuet, Van Cortlandt and Van Dam, Peter Stuyvesant, and many, many others. Numerous enchanting illustrations depict: . Manhattan Island in primitive solitude . Dutch windmills . first view of New Amsterdam . first ferry to Long Island . Stuyvesant's pear tree . City Hall, Wall Street . and dozens more. Originally published from 1877 to 1881, this is a delight to browse-for history buffs and lovers of the grand metropolis alike. Also available from Cosimo Classics: Martha J. Lamb's Wall Street in History. American historian MARTHA J. LAMB (d. circa 1892) was a prolific author, publishing children's books, novels, short stories, and magazine articles, as well as serving as editor of the Magazine of American History. Active in charitable organizations, she founded Chicago's Home for Friendless and Half-Orphan Asylum, and was secretary of the city's first Sanitary Fair in 1863.