New York now has a new, comprehensive history book that chronicles the state through centuries of change. A richly illustrated volume, The Empire State begins in the early seventeenth century (when the region was still populated solely by Native Americans) and concludes in the mid-1990s, by which time people from all over the world had made the state their home. Throughout the book, politics, economics, culture, and social history all are emphasized, as are the important contributions made by ethnic groups and women. The Empire State serves as a successor to A History of New York State,...