Description
Book SynopsisThis book is a lively and comprehensive history of the Fulton Fish Market, from its founding in 1822 through its move to the Bronx in 2005. Jonathan H. Rees explores the market’s workings and significance, tracing the transportation, retailing, and consumption of fish.
Trade ReviewFascinating. -- Florence Fabricant * New York Times *
The Fulton Fish Market, when it was on Fulton Street, was a legendary and unforgettable place. This book helps us to remember why it was unique. -- Kenneth T. Jackson, editor in chief of
The Encyclopedia of New York CityJonathan H. Rees tells the gripping story of the Fulton Fish Market and the technologies that made it successful for more than 150 years. Whether examining the nineteenth century’s oceangoing fishing boats, the challenges of inadequate cold storage, the heavy hand of the mafia, or changing consumer tastes, his history of the Fulton Fish Market is fascinating. -- Cathy Kaufman, president, Culinary Historians of New York
Rees’s history of Manhattan’s Fulton Fish Market is an elegy for a place that reached peak vibrancy in the 1920s, only to decline steadily as a result of overfishing, developers, the mafia, unions, politics, real estate prices, and eventually, more developers. Rees’s thoughtful analysis of these themes has much to tell us about the clash between the natural and built worlds in American cities over the last couple of centuries. -- Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health emerita, New York University, New York University, and author of
Food PoliticsRees’s superb book is much more than an excellent history of the Fulton Fish Market—it’s a history of an important dimension of New York City and, to an extent, a history of seafood in America. It is beautifully written with excellent documentation, and it’s a delight to read! -- Andrew F. Smith, author of
New York City: A Food Biography[A] fun and fascinating history. * Bowery Boys *
Rees’ thoughtful research speaks far beyond the fishing industry, giving insight into how clashes between the natural and built worlds have long shaped American cities. * FoodTank *
A fascinating deep dive into the history of a place that fundamentally shaped both New York and the global fishery. * Gotham Center for New York City History *
Taking the reader through a long history of the market, Rees’s book should interest readers engaged in histories of food, commodification, technology, and labor. * H-Environment *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Between the City and the Water
1. Fish and Fishing Before Fulton Market
2. The Early Days of Fulton Market
3. Fish from Far Away
4. The Heyday of New York’s Oyster Industry
5. The Operation of a Wholesale Fish Market
6. Fisheries and the Fish Market
7. Turtle and Terrapin
8. Freezing, Cold Storage, and Improvements in Transportation
9. From the Brooklyn Bridge to the FDR Drive
10. Pollution and the Decline of New York’s Oyster Industry
11. Buyers
12. The Culture of the Fulton Fish Market and Organized Crime
13. A Museum and Two Shopping Malls
14. Relocation
Conclusion: After Relocation
Acknowledgments
A Note on Sources
Notes
Index
