John Thorn is a respected author and journalist. His previous books include New York 400, produced in collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York. The Museum of the City of New York has one of the largest collections and archives of material covering the history of the city, with over 1.5 million objects and images.

1. The land of New York and Native Americans; 2. The Discovery of Manhattan, the Hudson River and the establishment of New Amsterdam; 3. The War of Independence; 4. The Rivers of New York; 5. An economic power; 6. Coming to America; 7. The Gangs of New York; 8. An Industrial Revolution; 9. Central Park; 10. The Port of New York; 11. The Five Boroughs; 12. Harlem; 13. Wall Street - Boom and Bust; 14. "Gotta dance"... and sing!; 15. The Land of the Skyscraper; 16. "Take me out to the Ball Game; 17. War, but not Want; 18. On the page; 19. A Work of Art; 20. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; 21. Downtown; 22. The Rise of the Underworld; 23. New York's Finest: the growth of the city's Police Department and how they fought back; 24. Fighting Fire with Fire; 25. From Noho to Soho; 26. On the Runway; 27. Making a Splash.