What surprises him most is that it's often treated as a news feature, not just an item for the book review section. The book has attracted attention as far away as Memphis, Los Angeles, Kyoto, and London, where five periodicals have covered it, including the Times Literary Supplement . They feel that New York has left its stamp on them, and they're proud of their association even though they now live in Las Vegas or Miami or Los Angeles.
Press accounts typically include a section on favorite found facts and features.
In spite of their overwhelmingly favorable notices, nearly all the local reviewers indulge energetically in a quibble section. This is the fun they've been waiting for, and one can practically see them rubbing hands and licking chops as they cite sins of omission and errors of fact. He also scolds the author of the entry on F. Scott Fitzgerald for missing an opportunity to identify the New York locations in The Great Gatsby . When it comes to Bronx neighborhoods, this encyclopedia is geographically challenged. Some accounts of the book serve as opportunities for commentators to address favorite urban issues of their own.