|
|||
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
Books on FDNY History, NYC Fires, and September 11
FDNY History —
September 11
See also Professional firefighting training books —
Historic Fires
Recommended titles
by A. E. Costello Forge Books, 2002. 416pp.
"Birth of the Braves traces the history of New York firefighting from the earliest days of the city when it was part of the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam to the end of the nineteenth century when new innovations in firefighting technology began to make their appearance. Along the way are many tales of heroism and bravery, including accounts of the disastrous fire of 1811, the great conflagration of 1835, the awful fire of 1845, and many other signature events in New York City’s history." --book description 
Knickerbocker Press, reprint 1997. 1112pp.
"Originally published in 1887, this historical book documents the history and lore of New York's fire departments until 1887."
by Terry Golway Basic Books, 2002. 336pp.
"Writing with humor and passion and an understanding of the firefighter's mindset that comes from deep personal experience (his father, father-in-law, godfather and uncles were all firemen), New York Observer editor-columnist Golway (The Irish in America, etc.) takes readers inside the New York City Fire Department. As Golway's account follows the FDNY going back to its origins in New Amsterdam, points of familiarity emerge from the fine details: the need, even in 1731, to raise money for state-of-the-art equipment; the "respect and awe" felt by little boys for firefighters; the passion of firefighters for their work; the feverish search to recover the bodies of fallen brothers. Golway also provides vivid portraits of the city's worst conflagrations: the "ocean of fire" that destroyed 674 buildings in lower Manhattan in 1835, the tragic 1904 excursion boat fire that left 1,000 dead, the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the 850 alarms reported on April 20, 1963, ... Closing chapters are devoted to the 1993 and 2001 World Trade Center attacks ... " --Publishers Weekly
by George Pickett, Hugh Downs, John T. Colby Jr. Brick Tower Press, 2002. 248pp.
by Paul Hashagen, Janet Kimmerly (Compiler) Turner Publishing Company, 2002. 272pp.
by Shawn O'Sullivan, and Patrice O'Shaughnessy PowerHouse Books, 2002. 160pp.
"...New York's Bravest: Eight Decades of Photographs from the Daily News, which records 80 years of New York firefighting through 166 pages of dramatic picture stories-children plucked breathlessly from harm, a building transformed by hosing during a winter fire into a glittering ice palace, the seven-alarm blaze caused by a jet collision over Brooklyn in December 1960-that have been the life's blood of the photo tabloid since its creation in 1919. The book concludes with the department's worst fire of all..." --Library Journal, Nathan Ward.
by Edward T. O'Donnell Publisher: Broadway Books, 2003. 352pp.
"O'Donnell ... trains his historian's eyes on one of New York's greatest but little-known disasters-a 1904 steamboat fire that killed more than 1,000 people. He leaves no aspect of the General Slocum tragedy unturned as he lays out the life of the New Yorkers around the turn of the century who became major players in the ship disaster as well as the significant role newspapers played in shaping public opinion. ... He also recreates the panoply of emotions on that June day ... With an eye toward today's tragedies, he shows how victims felt little solace from investigations, which became largely an attempt at scapegoating the ship's captain. In O'Donnell's deft hands, the disaster becomes more than just a historical event-it's a fascinating window into an era, a community and the lives of ordinary people." iiPublishers Weekly
by David Von Drehle Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003. 352pp.
"It was a profitable business in a modern fireproof building heralded as a model of efficiency. Yet the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City became the deadliest workplace in American history when fire broke out on the premises on March 25, 1911. Within about 15 minutes the blaze killed 146 workers-most of them immigrant Jewish and Italian women in their teens and early 20s. ... Journalist Von Drehle (Lowest of the Dead: Inside Death Row and Deadlock: The Inside Story of America's Closest Election) recounts the disaster-the worst in New York City until September 11, 2001-in passionate detail. ... Von Drehle's engrossing account, which emphasizes the humanity of the victims and the theme of social justice, brings one of the pivotal and most shocking episodes of American labor history to life." -- Publisher's Weekly
by Franz Lidz Bloomsbury USA, 2003. 161pp.
"Homer and Langley Collyer moved into their handsome brownstone in white, upper-class Harlem in 1909. By 1947, however, when the fire department had to carry Homer's body out of the house he hadn't left in twenty years, the neighborhood had degentrified, and their house was a fortress of junk: in an attempt to preserve the past, Homer and Langley held on to everything they touched. The scandal of Homer's discovery, the story of his life, and the search for Langley, who was missing at the time, rocked the city; the story was on the front page of every newspaper for weeks. A quintessential New York story of quintessential New York characters." --book description
by Tom Downey Henry Holt and Co, 2004. 320pp.
"Deputy Chief Ray Downey, the most highly decorated firefighter in the history of the FDNY, died during the World Trade Center rescue operations, but months earlier, he had arranged for his nephew, filmmaker Tom Downey, to make a documentary on the emergency experts of Brooklyn's Rescue Company No. 2 ... For this book, he follows the efforts of the new captain, Phil Ruvolo, to take command and establish a rapport with his men. Interweaving the history and lore of landmark fires with daily chores and rituals, Downey recreates the firehouse's kitchen table banter and sardonic humor. He probes the physical toll and psychological problems firefighters experience, along with the job's dangers ... Writing with verve and energy in a gritty style, he explores all extremes of the firemen's world, from triumphant moments of heroism to bitter tragedies. The concluding chapters document 9/11 and its aftermath from the firemen's point of view ..." --Publishers Weekly
by Dennis Smith Little Brown & Company, 1999. 240pp.
"A former fireman in the world's busiest firehouse gives a vivid day-to-day account of the challenging events, including the raging fires and fighting a fire in the freezing cold, that he faced during his years of service. " --Ingram
by Andrew Ashurst 1stBooks Library, 2003. 208pp.
20,000 Alarms: The Memoirs of New York's Most Decorated Fireman
by Frederick Mercilliott 2003. 305pp.
by The New York City Fire Museum, Andrew Coe Odyssey Pubns, 2003. 136pp.
"... Written by experts on Fire Department history, this book documents the evolution of city firefighting from the earliest bucket brigades through to the post 911 Department, largely through the collection of the Museum. Along the way, it documents the organizational improvements and political changes that have made city firefighting significantly more effective ... Illustrated throughout with full-color photographs of fire fighting equipment, memorabilia and notable fires, mostly taken from the remarkable collection of the NYC Fire Museum and generously supplemented with unique additional material from private collections as well as from the FDNY Photo Unit. With chilling accounts of the most devastating fires that have threatened New York, including the Great Fire of 1835, the General Slocum Streamboat Fire and the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire." --book description
by Mary Pope Osborne, Steve Johnson (Illust), Lou Fancher (Illust) Knopf, 2002. 32pp.
"This book plays on the emotions of September 11, but even if those events had never occurred, such a gloriously illustrated volume would still become a favorite. Mose Humphreys was an 1840s' New York firefighter whose bravery became legendary. Osborne deftly threads some tales of his courage into a narrative that depicts him as a larger-than-life folk hero who rescues babies in his stovepipe hat and eats mountains of beans and eggs. After one horrific night rescuing people from a hotel fire, Mose disappears. At first, his friends are hopeful, but finally they admit the truth. The ending is almost over the top, but it will still evoke a shiver as one old timer rallies his buddies: "Mose is right here . . . that firefighter will never leave us--he's the spirit of New York." The large size and the book's design keep in step with the story's tall-tale flavor. The boldly executed art features a muscular, red-haired Mose, and the illustrators use intriguing views and angles to catch the eye. ... " --Booklist, Ilene Cooper
by Joseph Natale Schneiderman Writers Club Press, 2002. 152pp.
"For the past 10 years, Joseph Natale Schneiderman has visited 55 firehouses in the grand City of New York. He is a "Buff", or someone who visited firehouses in their spare time (it also meant once that someone rode with them if they so chose!). So, come with him, on his 5-borough journey to these 55 firehouses, as you learn about the history of the firehouses and fire engines, firefighters, and his personal experiences. You’ll also see plenty of non-firefighting related things to do, like restaurants and other points of interest in the area of his visits!" --book description
by Arthur C. Smith Exeter House Books, 1997. 86pp.
by Wayne Sorensen, Donald F. Wood Krause Publications, 2002. 256pp.
"Take a ride with the New York Fire Department through a pictorial history, from the first horse-drawn pumpers to the newest ladder trucks. More than 400 photos of NYC's firefighting trucks are organized chronologically, accompanied by insightful commentary about the trucks, equipment, and the times. Descriptive photo captions provide specifications and other technical information. " --book description
by Keith Young HP Books, 2003. 256pp.
"Shopping, preparing food, and eating together builds a unique camaraderie among firefighters-and provides a chance to blow off some steam when not saving lives. Now, trained chef and firefighter Keith Young takes that ritual to a whole new level. Bringing his culinary expertise to the firehouse, he has created recipes that satisfy the hunger in these everyday heroes-without scrimping on taste. His award-winning dishes have made meals at FDNY Ladder-156 in Brooklyn an event in themselves." --book description
by John Sineno Fireside, 1996. 256pp.
"A feast of 200 hearty, easy-to-prepare recipes from the kitchen of New York City's "Cooking Fireman". John Sineno, a twenty-eight-year veteran of the fire department and an award-winning cook, is known as "Mama Sineno" because he looks after his firefighting "family" as if he were their mom. Though his days of putting out fires are over, he hasn't hung up his apron and continues to satisfy the appetites of his hardworking colleagues." --book description
by Alan Batt, Battman Studios
by David Halberstam Hyperion Press, 2002. 224pp.
"Thirteen men from Engine 40, Ladder 35 firehouse initially responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; only one survived. Located near Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the firehouse was known for its rich tradition and strong leadership. This gripping book details the actions of the 13 men on that horrific day and the heartbreaking aftermath ... The book is also about the men themselves and the tight bond and sense of duty and honor that held them together. David Halberstam does a masterful job of illustrating the inner workings of a firehouse, with its traditions, routines, and complex social structure that in many ways resembles a "vast extended second family ... " --Amazon.com
by Dennis Smith Viking Press, 2002. 366pp.
"There is no center to this day, no middle or end. All its remaining minutes and hours will be collapsed into that single instant at 8:48 a.m. when September 11, 2001, became the saddest day of our history," writes Dennis Smith, a retired New York City firefighter. Shortly after the two planes hit the World Trade Center towers, he volunteered to help in the rescue effort. In this diary of the three months following the attack, Smith combines his own observations with interviews of those involved in the work, creating a detailed day-by-day history of the massive effort to find life among the ruins. " --Amazon.com
by Frank McCourt (Intro), Rudolph W. Giuliani (Intro), Thomas Von Essen (Intro) Sterling, 2002. 240pp.
"There could not be a greater contrast than between the cold engineering that leveled the twin towers and the response of the 343 New York firefighters who rushed in to their deaths. Those men are honored in this collection of evocatively understated photographs showing all 70 of the city's affected firehouses, from Red Hook's company of "Happy Hookers" to Harlem's "Fire Factory." The pictures by 50 noted photographers show the firehouses in all attitudes of mourning and recovery, crowded with donated flowers, candles, homemade signs, and children's drawings (some from as far as Mississippi) that have helped buoy up the survivors in the months since the attack. These displays are evidence of a popular rediscovery of firefighters, writes McCourt in his pitch-perfect foreword to the book. All of September 11's FDNY dead are listed delicately across the bottom of the pages of portraits of the lost men's firehouse beds, wall-posters, empty lockers, boots, and heat-darkened helmets, as well as their squad mates struggling on..." --Library Journal, Nathan Ward
Pennwell Publications, 2002.
"Fallen Heroes: A Tribute from Fire Engineering honors the courageous firefighters who died in the September 11 World Trade Center collapse. The book is a beautifully-bound, 81/2 x 11 keepsake detailing the tragic events of the attacks on America. Contents include a photo gallery of the fallen firefighters, firsthand reports from Ground Zero and the Pentagon, and reactions from around the world. " --book description
by Richard Picciotto, Daniel Paisner (Contributor) Berkley Publishing Group, 2002. 320pp.
"This gripping, first-person account of a 9-11 survivor provides a firefighter's view of the World Trade Center catastrophe. An invaluable eyewitness to history as well as a professional just doing his job, Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto was inside the North Tower when it collapsed. Determined to be the last man down, Picciotto coordinated the rescue effort of several dozen incapacitated civilians. Stranded on the landing between the sixth and seventh floors when the building came tumbling down around and on top of him, Chief "Pitch," a small band of fellow firefighters, and one grandmotherly civilian improbably survived the collapse in a small vacuum created by the placement of the twisted debris..." --Booklist, Margaret Flanagan
by Chris Ganci Orchard, 2003. 40pp.
"Pete Ganci was Chief of the Fdny. He was funny, brave, determined, and, ultimately, selfless. On September 11th, he died doing what he loved most--fighting fires and saving lives. Chief is a chronicle of Ganci's career, written by his youngest son, Chris. But it is also the story of what firefighters do every day. Illustrated with personal pictures from the Ganci family and professional photos from the Fdny, this is a portrait of a man who loved his job. And it is Chris's effort to honor all those who sacrificed their lives on 9/11 and who have continued to risk their lives everyday since." --book description
by Francis J. Rella Princeton Book Co, 2003, 224pp.
"This firsthand account of September 11, written by a paramedic on the scene, chronicles the days before and after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Frank Rella describes the paramedic crew stationed at St. Vincent's Hospital in lower Manhattan, the eerie foreshadowing of the coming disaster, and his encounter with a Middle Eastern man who offered a tarot card reading. Rella details how he and his partner arrived at Ground Zero just as the second tower collapsed and rescued a firefighter who was having a heart attack. The vivid descriptions of turf battles between paramedics and fire department personnel at Ground Zero and elsewhere will arouse controversy and interest. " --book description
|
