About the Author

John Tauranac is the author of "Elegant New York "and "Essential New York "and a freelance writer. A graduate of Columbia and New York Universities, Tauranac teaches at NYU's School of Continuing Education. He lectures widely and has been a guest curator at the Museum of the City of New York. Wearing another hat, Tauranac designed the award-winning subway map in 1979 that is still in use by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and he still designs maps. He lives with his wife, Jane Bevans, and their daughter, Maggie, on Manhattan's Upper West Side and in West Cornwall, Connecticut.

Reviews

"The title of this book suggests that it is about an extraordinary building, but that suggestion is as modest as the promise of a bologna sandwich and decaf for lunch when, in fact, one will be served an eight-course meal with a bottle of 1949 Chateau Lafite." --"Roger Starr, Book News"
"Although the Empire State Building is no longer the tallest building in the world (or even in New York City), it remains mythical, iconic. This entrancing book is at once an appreciation of the structure as a practical work of art and an exploration of the building's role in the city and the world." --"The New Yorker"
"A building that is a movie star unto itself deserves a writer of such contagious enthusiasm as Tauranac...A fascinating, self-propelling, and definitive history of the building." --"Booklist"
"A masterpiece of architectural and city history. Like a great novel, "The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark "is a complex and fascinating tale of men inspired by titanic visions of planning, financing, designing, and erecting this icon of New York." --"The New York Chronicle"
"Mr. Tauranac knows the architecture and buildings of New York as few do. He takes us through the story of the skyscraper as a form, the zoning that emerged to control the tall buildings, the real-estate boom of the twenties, the history of the site, the careers of John J. Raskob and Al Smith and the architects and builders who designed and erected the building, and the building's subsequent career." --"Nathan Glazer, The New York Times"
"A methodically researched, richly informative account of the raising of the world's most famous skyscraper." --"The Chicago Tribune"