--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A string of city histories appeared, some…" description: "\"“A string of city histories appeared, some in the elegiac vein pioneered by Abram Dayton’s Last Days of Knickerbocker New York (1882), others works of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/mike-wallace-5222_histories_a-string-of-city-histories-appeared-some_1502463.png" --- # A string of city histories appeared, some in the elegiac… ![“A string of city histories appeared, some in the elegiac vein pioneered by Abram Dayton’s Last Days of Knickerbocker New York (1882), others works of substantial scholarship, much though not all of it written by women. Martha Lamb’s History of the City of New York was published beginning in 1877…” quote by Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/mike-wallace-5222_histories_a-string-of-city-histories-appeared-some_1502463.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/mike-wallace-5222_histories_a-string-of-city-histories-appeared-some_1502463.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/mike-wallace-5222_histories_a-string-of-city-histories-appeared-some_1502463.png) > ““A string of city histories appeared, some in the elegiac vein pioneered by Abram Dayton’s Last Days of Knickerbocker New York (1882), others works of substantial scholarship, much though not all of it written by women. Martha Lamb’s History of the City of New York was published beginning in 1877; in 1884, Benson J. Lossing published his two-volume History of New York City; and Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer penned historical essays for Century Magazine, which prefigured her later two-volume study of the seventeenth-century city.”” [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage surveys 19th‑century works on New York’s past, noting both male and female scholars and differing tones from elegiac to rigorous. **In simple terms:** It lists notable 19th‑century New York histories and their authors. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse perspectives in historical narratives. Themes history gender urban studies literature scholarship Mood reflective analytical Type historical educational When to use this quote - academic research - museum curation - public lectures - heritage tourism - educational curricula Key Concepts historiography city development female authorship Questions to Reflect On - How do gender and tone shape our view of city history? - What other sources could broaden this narrative? A Different Perspective The focus on published works may overlook oral histories and marginalized voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [City Histories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-histories-5511358/) [Histories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/histories/) [Histories Appeared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/histories-appeared-5511359/) [History City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-city-366566/) [Last Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-days/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) [Penned Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penned-historical-5511360/) [York City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-city/) ## Related quotes > [The history of a city was like the history of a family—there is closeness and even affection, but death eventually separates everyone from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-history-of-a-city-was-like-the-history-of-a-family-there-is/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I would like to invest more of my brain space in understanding the history of my city, because whenever I learn about the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-michael-key/i-would-like-to-invest-more-of-my-brain-space-in-understanding-the/) [Keegan-Michael Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-michael-key/) > [“We have not erased history; we are becoming part of the city's history by righting the wrong image these monuments represent and crafting a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-landrieu/we-have-not-erased-history-we-are-becoming-part-of-the-city-s-history/) [Mitch Landrieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-landrieu/) > [“Jeff: There's a lot of history in this city... Peanut: Translated: Old. As. Shit. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-dunham/jeff-there-s-a-lot-of-history-in-this-city-peanut-translated-old-as/) [Jeff Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-dunham/) > [Histories used often to be stories: the fashion now is to leave out the story. Our histories are stall-fed: the facts are absorbed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/histories-used-often-to-be-stories-the-fashion-now-is-to-leave-out/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [“All true histories contain instruction;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/all-true-histories-contain-instruction/) [Emily Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Recounting their histories, people often sound like interested bystanders to their own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/recounting-their-histories-people-often-sound-like-interested/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [There is no history, only histories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/there-is-no-history-only-histories/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [Life histories tell you just about everything you need to know about an animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-horner/life-histories-tell-you-just-about-everything-you-need-to-know-about/) [Jack Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-horner/) > [Political corruption is endemic all over this country, in some places worse than others, right? On crime, you have all the major American cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-landrieu/political-corruption-is-endemic-all-over-this-country-in-some-places/) [Mitch Landrieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-landrieu/) > [My time as editor has been overlapped by a crisis - a prolonged, labyrinthine, tragic, seemingly non-ending crisis - that involves the prehistory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/my-time-as-editor-has-been-overlapped-by-a-crisis-a-prolonged/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [I applied for funding to embark on an overseas field trip in Iceland, and spent six weeks there happily holed up in the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/i-applied-for-funding-to-embark-on-an-overseas-field-trip-in-iceland/) [Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/) > [People want chat histories. They're a permanent testimony of a relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-acton/people-want-chat-histories-they-re-a-permanent-testimony-of-a/) [Brian Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-acton/) > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## More by Mike Wallace > [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Residents grimly spoke of the crisis as “O Grab Me”—“embargo” spelled backward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/residents-grimly-spoke-of-the-crisis-as-o-grab-me-embargo-spelled/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“The key to success in the Gold Room was information. Knowledge of a battle’s outcome obtained an hour before one’s competitors could be parlayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/the-key-to-success-in-the-gold-room-was-information-knowledge-of-a/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“When the popular actor John Hodgkinson appeared in the red coat of a British officer, hecklers wouldn’t allow him to continue until he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/when-the-popular-actor-john-hodgkinson-appeared-in-the-red-coat-of-a/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [When I came to CBS it was the mother church. I mean that was - everybody wanted to go to work for CBS News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/when-i-came-to-cbs-it-was-the-mother-church-i-mean-that-was-everybody/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [Even though Jack Kennedy and I were about the same age and lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same elementary school, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/even-though-jack-kennedy-and-i-were-about-the-same-age-and-lived-in/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Warner took to writing in hopes of making money and submitted a pious and sentimental novel to Harpers, which rebuffed it with the single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/warner-took-to-writing-in-hopes-of-making-money-and-submitted-a-pious/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Horace Greeley cautioned one upstate hopeful: “You do not realize how little the mere talent of writing well has to do with success or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/horace-greeley-cautioned-one-upstate-hopeful-you-do-not-realize-how/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Political editors were a truculent breed. Leggett’s boss, William Cullen Bryant, took a cowskin whip to William Leete Stone of the Commercial Advertiser in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/political-editors-were-a-truculent-breed-leggett-s-boss-william/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [But I was never, you know, when I see some kids today who are close to their parents, close to their friends... I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/but-i-was-never-you-know-when-i-see-some-kids-today-who-are-close-to/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“And among the prissiest. Gilder’s method of raising public standards of taste and morality required the production of bloodless pages. As custodian of genteel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/and-among-the-prissiest-gilder-s-method-of-raising-public-standards/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [Covering Richard Nixon's triumphant run in 1968 turned out to be my last major assignment as a general correspondent for CBS News. In September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/covering-richard-nixon-s-triumphant-run-in-1968-turned-out-to-be-my/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [There's not a better job in journalism than the one we have, seriously on '60 Minutes' - not a better job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/there-s-not-a-better-job-in-journalism-than-the-one-we-have-seriously/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [Both my parents came from Russia and suddenly they wound up in Boston, Massachusetts, Brookline, Massachusetts and they felt the sun rose and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/both-my-parents-came-from-russia-and-suddenly-they-wound-up-in-boston/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“In the symphonic world, musically inclined industrialists and financiers were having problems of a different sort with the New York Philharmonic. The old German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/in-the-symphonic-world-musically-inclined-industrialists-and/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) [Explore all 102 Mike Wallace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) ## More Histories quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [People want chat histories. They're a permanent testimony of a relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-acton/people-want-chat-histories-they-re-a-permanent-testimony-of-a/) [Brian Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-acton/) > [I applied for funding to embark on an overseas field trip in Iceland, and spent six weeks there happily holed up in the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/i-applied-for-funding-to-embark-on-an-overseas-field-trip-in-iceland/) [Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/) > [My time as editor has been overlapped by a crisis - a prolonged, labyrinthine, tragic, seemingly non-ending crisis - that involves the prehistory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/my-time-as-editor-has-been-overlapped-by-a-crisis-a-prolonged/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [Political corruption is endemic all over this country, in some places worse than others, right? On crime, you have all the major American cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-landrieu/political-corruption-is-endemic-all-over-this-country-in-some-places/) [Mitch Landrieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-landrieu/) > [Life histories tell you just about everything you need to know about an animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-horner/life-histories-tell-you-just-about-everything-you-need-to-know-about/) [Jack Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-horner/) > [There is no history, only histories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/there-is-no-history-only-histories/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [Recounting their histories, people often sound like interested bystanders to their own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/recounting-their-histories-people-often-sound-like-interested/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [“All true histories contain instruction;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/all-true-histories-contain-instruction/) [Emily Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Histories used often to be stories: the fashion now is to leave out the story. Our histories are stall-fed: the facts are absorbed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/histories-used-often-to-be-stories-the-fashion-now-is-to-leave-out/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [“histories. Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) historian Jean O’Brien names this practice of writing Indians out of existence “firsting and lasting.” All over the continent, local histories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/histories-anishinaabe-ojibwe-historian-jean-o-brien-names-this/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [unloved women have no biographies-- they have histories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/unloved-women-have-no-biographies-they-have-histories/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [New York is ultimately not the synthesis but merely the sum of its unfathomable subjectivities, its personal histories, its uncategorisable figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/new-york-is-ultimately-not-the-synthesis-but-merely-the-sum-of-its/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [There is no question that creative intelligence comes not through learning things you find in books or histories that have already been written, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/there-is-no-question-that-creative-intelligence-comes-not-through/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) [Browse all 68 Histories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/histories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A string of city histories appeared, some in the elegiac vein pioneered by Abram Dayton’s Last Days of Knickerbocker New York (1882), others works of substantial scholarship, much though not all of it written by women. Martha Lamb’s History of the City of New York was published beginning in 1877; in 1884, Benson J. 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