This very gifted American writer, known primarily as a humorist in his day (the final decades of the 19th cent.) turned serious with this marvelous portrayal of the evolution of New York City in connection with three generations of the family of Jacob Dolph, a successful merchant, beginning in 1807. I was very touched by this story and impressed by the economy with which 80 years of the lives of some half-dozen characters was effectively evoked in a little over 50 pages. ( )