New York City Directory

The guide, now in its completely revised and updated seventh edition, is the accepted authority on nursery school options available to Manhattan parents. It describes more than 150 nursery and day care programs including information about admissions procedures, diversity, school size, tuition and schedules.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was a groundbreaking guide that provided African American travelers with crucial information on safe places to stay, eat, and visit during the era of segregation in the United States. This essential resource, originally published from 1936 to 1966, offered a lifeline to black motorists navigating a deeply divided nation, helping them avoid the dangers and indignities of racism on the road. More than just a travel guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression, offering a poignant glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the African American experience in the 20th century.

The Gentleman's Directory is a reproduction of New York City's rare 1870 guidebook to more than 150 brothels then operating--presenting "insight into the character and doings of people whose deeds are carefully screened from public view." This vest pocket-sized guide to Manhattan's "nightlife" was easily obtained at city newsstands. While claiming to direct the visitor away from houses of ill repute--"Not that we imagine the reader will ever desire to visit these houses"--the book offered first, second, and third class reviews and ratings. High praise went to houses "kept in a quiet and orderly manner" and that were "finely furnished." A rave review for Miss Emma Benedict's house read: "Everything is here arranged in the first style, while the bewitching smiles of the fairy-like creatures who devote themselves to the services of Cupid are unrivalled by any of the fine ladies who walk Broadway in silks and satins new." Readers were warned to stay away from the streetwalkers, while of houses on Greene Street it was said, "This thoroughfare has become a complete sink of iniquity." Third-rate establishments received such dismissive reviews as "undeserving of further notice" or "it contains nothing of any account." Applewood After Dark's faithful facsimile was reproduced from an original in the collection of the New-York Historical Society.