BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Stock photo: cover may vary

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels Paperback - 2008

by Jill Jonnes

Add to wish list

In this gripping narrative, Jonnes tells the fascinating story of the struggle to connect New York City to the rest of the nation and the high-stakes drama that pitted the money and will of the nation's mightiest railroad against the machinations of labor agitators.

Summary

"Superb. [A] first-rate narrative" (The Wall Street Journal ) about the controversial construction of New York's beloved original Penn Station and its tunnels\

As bestselling books like Ron Chernow's Titan and David McCullough's The Great Bridge affirm, readers are fascinated with the grand personalities and schemes that populated New York at the close of the nineteenth century. Conquering Gotham re- creates the riveting struggle waged by the great Pennsylvania Railroad to build Penn Station and the monumental system of tunnels that would connect water-bound Manhattan to the rest of the continent by rail. Historian Jill Jonnes tells a ravishing tale of snarling plutocrats, engineering feats, and backroom politicking packed with the most colorful figures of Gilded Age New York.

Reader reviews for Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

From the publisher

"Superb. [A] first-rate narrative" (The Wall Street Journal) about the controversial construction of New York's beloved original Penn Station and its tunnels, from the author of Eiffel's Tower and Urban Forests

As bestselling books like Ron Chernow's Titan and David McCullough's The Great Bridge affirm, readers are fascinated with the grand personalities and schemes that populated New York at the close of the nineteenth century. Conquering Gotham re- creates the riveting struggle waged by the great Pennsylvania Railroad to build Penn Station and the monumental system of tunnels that would connect water-bound Manhattan to the rest of the continent by rail. Historian Jill Jonnes tells a ravishing tale of snarling plutocrats, engineering feats, and backroom politicking packed with the most colorful figures of Gilded Age New York.

Conquering Gotham will be featured in an upcoming episdoe of PBS's American Experience.

Details

  • Title Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels
  • Author Jill Jonnes
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 384
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Publishing Group, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A
  • Publication date 2008-04-01
  • Features Bibliography, Index, Maps, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780143113249 / 0143113240
  • Weight 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.46 x 5.5 x 0.77 in (21.49 x 13.97 x 1.96 cm)
  • Age range 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Chronological Period: 1900-1949
    • Chronological Period: 1900-1919
    • Cultural Region: Mid-Atlantic
    • Cultural Region: Northeast U.S.
    • Geographic Orientation: New York
    • Locality: New York, N.Y.
  • Category History - U.S.
  • Dewey Decimal Code 385.314

Media reviews

"A human account of how a few visionaries from the Pennsylvania Railroad connected the rest of the country to the nation's greatest port, and how their Philadelphia-centric perspective doomed the world's largest train station."
-Sam Roberts, The New York Times

"Lush and lovely prose."
-The Baltimore Sun

"In the tradition of David McCullough's narrative of the Brooklyn Bridge . . . intelligent history about building an indispensable part of our infrastructure."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the author

Jill Jonnes is the author of Conquering Gotham, Urban Forests, Conquering Gotham, Empires of Light, and South Bronx Rising. She was named a National Endowment for the Humanities scholar and has received several grants from the Ford Foundation. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

More Copies for Sale

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$5.41
A$16.37 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$5.41
A$16.37 Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Stock photo: cover may vary

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.12
A$5.76 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Very Good condition. With remainder mark. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner’s name, short gifter’s inscription or light stamp.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.12
A$5.76 Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Stock photo: cover may vary

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.12
A$5.76 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Good condition. With remainder mark. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.12
A$5.76 Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham - A Gilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Stock photo: cover may vary

Conquering Gotham - A Gilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Fine copy
Edition
Later prt.
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.83
A$5.78 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
New York: Penguin Books. Fine copy. 2008. Later prt.. softcover. 8vo, 368 pp. .
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.83
A$5.78 Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Stock photo: cover may vary

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2008. Paperback. Good. Former library book; Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham : Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

Conquering Gotham : Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jill Jonnes

  • Used
  • as new
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2008. Paperback. As New. Disclaimer:An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact; pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2008. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham : Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

Conquering Gotham : Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jill Jonnes

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2008. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.05
Free Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Stock photo: cover may vary

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Edition
Reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$12.99
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2008-03-25. Reprint. paperback. Used: Good. 5.50x0.87x8.44. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.99
Free Delivery to USA
Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Stock photo: cover may vary

Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

by Jonnes, Jill

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Edition
Reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143113249 / 0143113240
Quantity available
6
Seller
Item price
A$26.78
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2008-03-25. Reprint. paperback. New. 5.50x0.87x8.44. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$26.78
Free Delivery to USA