Nearest Thing to Heaven: The Empire State Building and American Dreams Book

Nearest Thing To Heaven : The Empire State Building and American Dreams, by Mark Kingwell, is an utterly absorbing study of the building's iconic status in popular culture. Far from being merely an architecture book and a history of the great skyscraper, it's a loving evocation of the Empire State Building's multifaceted presence in our collective consciousness and the way that is manifested in things like film (not just 'King Kong'), literature, and how it has come to be an essential part of what New York means to the nation and indeed to the rest of the world. This little book is a mine of quiet insights and fascinating facts. The World Trade Center's twin towers were basically giant boxes that impressed by sheer size. The Empire State Building ' not very much smaller ' has magic. Here is why.

-Alan