A fascinating combination of architecture and cultural history offers a comprehensive chronicle that captures the excitement and politics involved in the building of the Empire State Building, the technological breakthroughs of its construction, and more. 15,000 first printing. Surprisingly enough, the Empire State Building, "the world's greatest skyscraper" and formerly the world's tallest until the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center and Chicago's Sear's Tower took that distinction away, has never before received book-length treatment. Tauranac is a native of New York City and an accomplished architectural historian. He is the author of two previous books on the city's architecture, Essential New York (LJ 10/1/79. o.p.) and Elegant New York (Abbeville, 1985. o.p.). He has researched his subject thoroughly, even in the famous Avery Library Archive. His book covers almost all aspects of the great monument, from planning and conception through design and construction to the unfolding of its subsequent reputation. Anyone interested in architecture will find this book entertaining and informative. It is a welcome addition to book collections on skyscrapers, New York City, and Art Deco architecture.?Peter Kaufman, Boston Architectural Ctr. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. A building that is a movie star unto itself deserves a writer of such contagious enthusiasm as Tauranac. Upon finishing his bio-(or constructo-) graphy, one feels pulled again to gaze at the solitary tower and see behind its limestone facade the architects and contractors who built it in 18 short months, and in the teeth of the Depression. As much a statement of capitalist tenacity as rentable office space, the building's iconic status was immediate, and not only for being "the world's tallest." Its modern, art deco-y appearance was unique, its technology was the acme of the skyscraper age, and its splendid isolation in the middle of Manhattan riveted attention. How it became sited at the corner of 34th Street and 5th Avenue forms one of Tauranac's fascinating stories, to which he adds vignettes about the personalities of financiers and their promoter in chief, former governor and presidential also-ran Al Smith, followed by notable events, such as the amusingly futile attempts to dock dirigibles at the top or the tragic airplane collision with the 79th floor in 1945. A fascinating, self-propelling, and definitive history of the building. Gilbert Taylor Used Book in Good Condition