Soho

"Artist and author Kostelanetz writes with firsthand knowledge of the place and its people, tracing SoHo from its heyday as an eclectic center of artistic expression in the 1970s to its discovery by the mainstream and subsequent transformation into the pricey world of chic." -- Carol J. Binkowski, Library Journal

"The chapters that focus on Nam June Paik, Meredith Monk, Richard Foreman, and other such pivotal figures offer the book's best insights into the essence of the SoHo phenomenon." -- Carol J. Binkowski, Library Journal

"There is plenty of detailed description throughout about everything from startling sculpture and performance art and the design of offbeat lofts to the complicated mechanics of funding and the protocol of garbage scavenging." -- Carol J. Binkowski, Library Journal

"Of particular interest to artists and New York City buffs, this savvy little history should also be appealing to those intrigued by the sociology of counterculture and the traditions of avant-garde art." -- Carol J. Binkowski, Library Journal

"Books at once this informative and this much fun are rare. Here is city history--neighborhood history--at its best. What starts off looking like a "no frills" account, develops authority, presence, and drive. Read it, and the art of that time, that place will simply make more sense. It's a book I'm glad I read and am personally grateful to Kostelanetz for having written." -- Samuel R. Delany

"New York's SoHo, by an uncanny series of accidents, became one of the great magical places of the late twentieth-century. There are many people around the world today, including me, who were drawn to downtown in its prime and who mourn what is gone. The amazing thing though is that SoHo happened at all. Richard Kostelanetz was there from the start and lived through its glory days from inside. He offers thick, rich descriptions of people, institutions, and events, explains the unlikely synergies that made it possible, and above all captures its aura. Without intending to do it, Kostelanetz convinces us that creative buildings, blocks, streets, and neighborhoods can come into being again." -- Marshal Berman

"A very important first hand contribution to the history of a unique art community that changed not only the art, but also the City, of New York." -- Jonas Mekas

"For those who want to read up on media and performance artists and others who were active in SoHo in the 70s and 80s, Kotelanetz's book will be a useful reference. He has probably the best and most even-handed description of George Maciunas, the Fluxus artist and creative developer of the first SoHo co-ops." -- SoHo Artists Foundation/ Ingrid Wiegand

"For those who want to read up on media and performance artists and others who were active in SoHo in the 70s and 80s, Kotelanetz's book will be a useful reference. He has probably the best and most even-handed description of George Maciumas, the Fluxus artist and creative developer of the first SoHo co-ops." -- Ingrid Wiegand