Part of Spacemaker's "Land Marks" series, this book takes a close look at Bryant Park, a popular public space behind the main New York Public Library in Midtown Manhattan. Another way to describe the park's location is on top of the NYPL, since Laurie Olin's reconfigured park sits partially atop two levels of stacks the library added at the same time. The stacks were one reason for the park's transformation, which to the untrained eye looks like it has always been that way. But drugs and homeless people made the park a place to stay away from in the 1970s and 80s, leading to its redesign and the creation of more stacks for the library. What previously was closed off from the sidewalk by iron fences and elevated plinth has been, since 1991, an inviting place that still maintains these and other historical elements. The success of the park's redesign can be seen in the throngs of people that populate it any day of the week. This book does a great job of telling the story of its redesign and its design details. The latter is particularly important, since the historical nature of the park meant changes should align with what existed — the results are seamless. ( )