Hotel Kid

In its heyday in the 1930s and '40s, the Taft was the biggest hotel in midtown Manhattan. Stephen Lewis grew up in this New York landmark, where his father, the general manager, ruled over a staff of Damon Runyonesque characters. Lewis contrasts his luxurious life inside the hotel with the gritty carnival spirit of his Times Square neighbourhood. In these pages, visit the night-clubs and movie palaces of a vanished era and thread your way among sightseers and hucksters. "Hotel Kid" is Eloise for adults. It is an Editor's Choice of the Book-of-the-Month Club.