FROM THE PUBLISHER

Brooklyn possesses a rich history and culture. The Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Coney Island are icons as well known as Manhattan's skyline. Home to more than two million people, the borough - one of five that comprise New York City - has had many faces over the course of its fascinating history.

Just across the East River from Manhattan, Brooklyn is an eighty-one-square-mile peninsula that also borders New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1834, Brooklyn became a city in its own right and in the second half of the nineteenth century, a major center of industry. Its green coastline sprouted tall ships, towering grain terminals, glass and porcelain factories, and massive sugar and oil refineries - some of the largest in the world. Thousands of immigrants - including those from Ireland, Germany Norway, Italy, Poland, and Russia - poured into the city to work in the factories and refineries.