Hot Time in the Old Town
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Published By Basic Books
Format Paperback
Number Of Pages 304
Publication Date 07/12/2011
ISBN 9780465024285
Dimensions 5.5 inches x 8.25 inches
Kirkus Reviews(UK)
“In this solid history, Kohn makes good use of vivid details…. [He] paints an impressively multifaceted portrait of Gilded Age New York… the sections that deal directly with the plight of the working poor are riveting. Vivid history of a forgotten urban crisis.”
Edwin G. Burrows, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898
“Hot Time in the Old Town is an enlightening account of the brutal 1896 scorcher that pushed the heat index in New York City above 120 for over a week, killing at least 1,300 people and driving countless others to bizarre acts of madness and despair. Along the way, Kohn makes a strong case that the most prominent casualty may well have been the presidential campaign of William Jennings Bryan, whose disastrous visit to the city during the height of the crisis helped win the White House for William McKinley. That same heat wave, Kohn reveals, also did wonders for the political career of the city’s dynamic young police commissioner, Teddy Roosevelt. History at its best.”
Kathleen Dalton, author of Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life
“Kohn’s well-written and dramatic story of New York’s 1896 killer heat wave exposes vast human suffering and city government’s bumbling response, but it also gives us a fresh snapshot look at Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt and presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan responding to the moment of crisis during hot times. An entertaining slice of New York history!”
“Although the 1896 heat wave remains a minor footnote in New York history, Kohn creates a solid narrative that makes for absorbing reading. He also points out that notwithstanding huge progress made to improve responses to heat crises, these occurrences continue to claim many lives to this day. Students of historical meteorology and shows like When Weather Changed History will enjoy this, as will anyone interested in off-beat American history.”
“[A] fascinating and well-researched tale about the impact of the needs of the local and disfranchised poor on national, even world, events. Kohn reminds historians that sometimes the best part of studying the past is listening for the narrative and resurrecting the stories of the obscure, the powerless, and the forgotten.”
The Front Page (blog of the American Meteorological Society)
“Kohn raises two novel arguments: that the heat wave was responsible for destroying William Jennings Bryan’s political career, and that it was responsible for bolstering that of Theodore Roosevelt’s.”
Aida D. Donald, author of Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt
“Of the writing of books about Theodore Roosevelt there seems to be no end. But Edward P. Kohn's book is one that does not recycle old facts in new form. Here is a window on the world of Roosevelt that is entirely new. His activities during a fierce heat wave in New York City in 1896 that killed hundreds of people and horses is depicted in chilling episodes. City government was slow to act, but department heads like Roosevelt, who was police commissioner, took initiatives and showed the kind of leadership that led to future fame. With a wide lens Kohn scans this horrific happening during a critical campaign for president. His portraits of Roosevelt and his contemporaries are skillful and memorable.”