Moses King
The Publications of Moses King
Moses King, Ed. & Pub. King’s Handbook of New York City.
Boston, Ma.: Moses King, 1893 2nd edition.
With over a thousand pages and over a thousand photographs, this is the most comprehensive handbook of New York City of its time, if not all time. For example, on the topic of clubs, 135 clubs are described, many with photographs and details, covering 31 pages. The title page claims the photographs were made expressly for the book. There were two editions, the 1892 and an expanded one in 1893. Judging from the book’s availability in the antiquarian book trade 70 or more years after its publication, it must have sold very well. But unfortunately there was never another edition, and Moses King subsequently concentrated on viewbooks of New York City rather than handbooks or guidebooks. One exception is the small guidebook How to See New York, shown elsewhere in this exhibition.
King’s Photographic Views of New York/A Souvenir Companion to King’s Handbook of New York City.
Boston, Ma.: Moses King [1895].
The general layout of this volume is an advertisement on the left-hand page, and a photograph of the building relating to the advertisement on the right-hand page. There are photos of commercial and civic buildings and structures as well as those of charities, but the majority of the photos depict commercial buildings. The most interesting feature of the book is that it illustrates so many commercial buildings that never appeared in viewbooks. The purchase of this volume on the day before Christmas 56 years ago is what caused the curator to start collecting New York City material.
King’s Color-graphs of New York City.
New York: Moses King Inc., 1910
Appearing the year after Moses King died, this publication seems as though it is an experiment, with an intermediate size, and all color illustrations (“over 150 photo-views in natural color”). It is well designed and has a good variety of photographs.
King’s Views of New York.
New York: Moses King, 1908
This softcover version of the folio King’s Views has as its title page Moses King’s most famous creation, “King’s Dream of New York,” a 1908 drawing by Harry M. Pettit. The caption reads:
“THE COSMOPOLIS OF THE FUTURE. A weird thought of the frenzied heart of the world in later times, incessantly crowding the possibilities of aerial and inter-terrestrial construction, when the wonders of 1908 – the Singer Bldg., 612 feet high, with offices on 41st floor, and the Metropolitan Life tower, 658 ft. high – will be far outdone, and the 1,000-ft. structure realized; now nearly a million people do business here each day; by 1930 it is estimated the number will be doubled, necessitating tiers of sidewalks, with elevated lines and new creations to supplement subway and surface cars, with bridges between the structural heights. Airships, too, may connect us with all the world. What will posterity develop?”
Moses King, Ed. & Pub. King’s New York Views [cover title].
New York: A Glance at New York’s Recent Development [title page title]. Boston, Ma.: Moses King, [1895].
This pamphlet of 14 pages appears to be the first King’s Views in folio size, and is described as “Supplementary to ‘King’s Handbook of New York City.’ ” It was a promotion for H. D. Wade & Co. printing inks, whose name is on the front cover and whose full-page ad is the back cover.
King’s Views of New York.
[New York]: Moses King, Inc. 1911
By 1911, the folio King’s Views has grown to 96 pages with 400 illustrations. The cover carries an updated version of “King’s Dream of New York,” an entirely new drawing by Richard Rummell (though similar to the 1908 version by Harry M. Pettit also shown in this case). The major differences three years later are that dirigibles have been altered to early airplanes, and elevated trains, high and low, are now shown.
King’s Views of New York.
New York: Manhattan Post Card Co., [1926].
Manhattan Post Card Co. appears to be the successor to Moses King Inc. and is the publisher of the King’s Views folio viewbooks. The title page shows the 1911 version of King’s Dream of New York, but with the title “King’s Views of New York.” A number of new buildings are pictured such as the Cunard Building at 25 Broadway and the Standard Oil Building at 26 Broadway.