Written in a hotel room over two hot days in the summer of 1948, White's timeless love letter (it's easily read in an hour) captures the spirit of New York. It's a swift, lyrical portrait of the city that moves from Broadway to Central Park and the Hudson River to favorite haunts on 3rd Avenue. The famous opening line ("On anyone who desires such queer prizes, New York will bestow the gift of loneliness and the gift of privacy.") sets the stage for a portrait that moves from Broadway to Central Park, from the horn of the great steamships to the dark of the bars on 3rd Avenue.  (NYC28, $16.95)