A mosaic of mid-century Manhattan and an exuberant oral history that begins in the post-World War II years when the city came into its own, and ends in the mid-1970s when it nearly went bust.

For anyone who grew up in or near "the city"-or fell in love with New York as an adult-this unique history is filled with vintage photos and personal interviews with such New York luminaries as Jimmy Breslin, Bill Gallo, Monte Irvin, Robert Merrill, Elaine Kaufman, Jerry Della Femmina, and Saul Zabar. It Happened in Manhattan is an often humorous, sometimes poignant, occasionally bitter-but always loving-testament to the magic of Manhattan.