1988 Ayriss and Ladner Pictorial Literary Map of New York City

This is a 1988 Linda Ayriss and Brian Ladner pictorial literary map of New York City. Focusing on the borough of Manhattan, 141 locations around Manhattan associated with famous authors and poets are numerically identified. The vast majority of these are residences, but other identified locales include the San Remo Café, the Cedar Street Tavern, the Algonquin Hotel, and The New Yorker and Vanity Fair offices. An alphabetical index lists the authors and poets in question, with their most recognizable works noted in italics (especially if one was written at a particular location). Among these are F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Heller, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Langston Hughes, Edith Wharton, and Willa Cather. The entire map is drawn as if it is the façade of the Algonquin Hotel and the top section of the index appears within the awning over the hotel's front doors. A series of portraits beneath the façade of the Algonquin Hotel celebrate New York City authors, including Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Dylan Thomas, and Dorothy Parker.

A Wonderful Series of Literary Maps

Aaron Blake Publishers published a series of literary maps in the mid to late 1980s. Some of these focused on specific cities (such as New York, Paris, and Los Angeles), some on specific authors (Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming, Jane Austen), and others on geographic regions (the American South, Latin America). Every map in the series is visually striking in its own way and would be a great addition to any bibliophile's collection.

Publication History and Census

This map was illustrated by Linda Ayriss, researched by Brian Ladner, and published by Aaron Blake Publishers in 1988. We note nearly a dozen examples cataloged in OCLC.