AJ Liebling's New York

I've just finished reading an anthology of the writing of AJ Liebling, a journalist who wrote for the New Yorker for nearly thirty years, primarily about war and sports. His columns on World War II, where he spent a good deal of time with the troops in Tunisia, capture both the boredom and the sudden activity of war time. But it is his columns on boxing that are real New York masterpieces. He describes Stillman's Gym so well you can smell it, and he treats all his subjects with unfailing respect and grants them a great deal of dignity. He lets you feel New York of the 30's and 40's like few other writers - his office mate and contemporary Joe Mitchell comes to mind. He is definitely worth a look, especially for those who prize first class writing about NYC.