WWII & NYC

•  Accompanies a major exhibition at the New-York Historical Society from 5 October 2012 to 27 May 2013

Published in conjunction with the WWII & NYC exhibition at the New-York Historical Society, this fascinating book captures the little-told but epic story of New York in the years 1939–45, the war’s impact on the metropolis and the challenges New Yorkers faced in a city mobilised for war.

New York was not only affected by the war, it contributed disproportionately to the final victory. It was the chief embarkation point for soldiers and supplies departing for the European Theatre, and more than three million troops and over 63 million tons of supplies passed through New York harbour en route to the battlefronts. Workers and industries emerged from the Depression to contribute more than any other city to the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’.

These were the times that saw men in uniform celebrate their last stateside moments, tearful families embrace their sons, women with lunch pails go off to work and celebrity-studded rallies hawk war bonds. Richly illustrated with images from the exhibition, WWII & NYC brings to life the story of one city and how it affected the war and in turn was affected by it.

Kenneth T. Jackson is the Jacques Barzun Professor of History at Columbia University. He is the author of the prize-winning Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States.