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author, creator, mighty fine swimmer

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400+ Years

1609 skyline
Mannahatta, 1609. © 2009 Markley Boyer | The Mannahatta Project | Wildlife Conservation Society

Above is the brilliant, reconstructed, bird’s-eye view that I used for my NEW YORK 1609 book covers (both the Omnibus edition and the initial novellas). It shows the densely forested, lightly-inhabited island that Henry Hudson encountered on September 12, 1609. The native Lenapes called it Mannahatta, but we now call it Manhattan. The whisp of smoke rising from the lower center of the island is at Werpoes, one of the main habitation sites of the Manahate band, who, along with the Rechgawawanks and the Wiechquaesecks, made Mannahatta their seasonal home.

2016 skyline
Manhattan, now. Courtesy of bossfight.co.

Jump forward 416 years, and here’s the same island above, now its own county in New York City. With more than 1.6 million inhabitants and more tall buildings than you can count. Manhattan is now part of one of the most important cities in the world, and the seeds of its greatness were planted in September, 1609.

There’s a story in that. And guess who wrote it?

See the Books section here for more…

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jay Tanen says

    October 14, 2016 at 11:02 am

    Looking forward to the book and then the HBO series..Jay

    Reply
    • Harald says

      October 14, 2016 at 11:35 pm

      Thanks, Jay! Your photography is playing a part.

      Reply

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