In the lead up to New York Magazine’s 50th anniversary, the editors (but mostly Chris Bonanos) created an enormous volume published by Simon & Schuster. And while I was not a dedicated member of the team, I was fortunate to help on the brainstorming, and eventual marketing of the book.

Highbrow, Lowbrow, Brilliant, Despicable: Fifty Years of New York aims to tell the story of the capital of the world, as seen in the pages of the magazine that shares its name. Over those five decades, the city went from broke to rich, from busted-down to gleaming, through three blackouts, two terror attacks, and one real-estate boom that never seems to end. This huge, joyous, visually kaleidoscopic tour through history is now on sale, and if we may be so bold, we think you’ll enjoy it very much. Oh, and its cover unfolds into a poster-size, five-decade, 400-item Approval Matrix for the ages.