Lloyd UltanCritiques

Interesting read, but doesn't live up to its scholarly pretensions

In the intro to the book, Lloyd Ultan decries prior histories of the Bronx as the work of mere amateurs, who, while passionate, don't have the training of a true historian such as himself. With that setup, one might expect a thoroughly academic work, and one would be thoroughly mislead. There are plenty of interesting stories here, but no specific citations and an apparent lack of editing does rob the book of its potential. There are a number of typos throughout the book, and some really strange turns of phrase like saying that settlers "came from various destinations."

The bottom line is, you can't talk that much trash about previous authors on the grounds they were amateurs and then drop the ball this bad yourself. Worth the read, but you want to check out a different book if you're looking for an academic history. Fortunately, there are several from reputable academic presses listed in the further reading section that I'll look into in the future.

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