1960 Fahey Pictorial Map of Greenwich Village, New York City

This is a 1960 first edition Lawrence Fahey pictorial city plan or map of Greenwich Village, New York City. When this map was issued, Greenwich Village was the heart of the New York bohemian arts scene; the time and place of Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, The Velvet Underground, protests against the Vietnam War, and the Stonewall Riots.

The Map

Coverage extends from 9th Avenue and Gansevoort Street to 3rd Avenue and from 14th Street to Prince Street. Fahey uses a 'modified perspective projection' to draw the buildings, nearly all of which are drawn to scale. In some cases, when the building would have obscured others, or its size would have caused undue attention, Fahey elected not to illustrate the entire building. The map labels antique shops, bars, theaters, bookshops, schools, and restaurants, among other businesses. Washington Square Park and New York University appear to the right of center, and the law school, education buildings, and the Maison Francaise are among the buildings labeled. Of note, the cartouche design is borrowed from Bernard Ratzer's celebrated 'Plan of the City of New York in North America' published in 1776.

Fahey's Words

Fahey includes a detailed description of the map to the left of the index. Here he details his processes and states that he spent three and a half years undertaking surveys and compiling this work. He states categorically, 'With very few exceptions, every important place in the Village is depicted on the map,' and closes with the thought that 'the map was not designed, however, to take the adventure out of exploring the Village for yourself, but to help you along the way.'

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Lawrence Fahey in 1960. Two editions were published, the first in 1960 (this example) and a second in 1961. Eight examples are cataloged in OCLC and are part of the institutional collections at the New York Public Library, Columbia University, Syracuse University, the University of Virginia, the University of Georgia, the University of Kansas, the University of California Los Angeles, and the Royal Danish Library. The first edition is exceptionally rare.