From the Bookshelf

New York's Fabulous Luxury Apartments

This is fascinating - pictures, floor plans, and architectural details about the grand and glorious apartment buildings of Manhattan in the first third of the 20th Century. These were palaces, 19 rooms, two (or even) three floors (per apartment), servants' quarters of 6 bedrooms and a servants' hall. Fireplaces, ballrooms, rooftop terraces - the mind boggles! The emphasis was on luxury to convince the upper class that apartment living could equal the mansions they were used to. Manhattan was running out of room for the huge individual home.

Of course as I perused the book, I picked out my favourite. The Beresford, above, on Central Park West, and it looks like I could move in for around $20,000,000!