Real LI

“Paint Style: The New Approach to Decorative Paint Finishes” by Lesley Riva (Firefly, $26.95): More than 50 projects, ranging from glazing to creating a faux stone look, are explained in this book published with the help of Benjamin Moore Paints. The author explains how a simple change in color can lend a personal touch to a project and shows how to choose colors using a color wheel, to add stenciling, stamping and various textures, to select the right brushes and other tools and explains the ways different paints are used. Lots of photos show how to tackle projects and their finished look.

- PAM ROBINSON

“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buying Foreclosures: Profitable Tips for Bargain-Hunting Buyers” by Bobbi Dempsey and Todd Beitler (Alpha, $19.95): This book is loaded with information about how to find, qualify financially and obtain troubled properties. Terminology -- such as promissory note, REOs, liens, short sales and many more -- are defined. Several forms, such as option contracts and worksheets, plus a long list of other resources and plenty of cautionary notes about buying in a risky market, fill this informative book.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Shop Your Closet: The Ultimate Guide to Organizing Your Closet With Style” by Melanie Charlton Fascitelli (Collins, $19.95): If you’re one of those people who is always madly digging around looking for clothes to wear, this book is designed to help ease your life. Along with a Ten Commandments list (among them, hang as much as possible in the closet, avoid plastic, etc.), there is plenty of advice meant to not only get and stay organized but also properly care for your clothes, shoes and bags. For those who need rules and to-do lists, this book will get you where you want to be, as well as teach you how to get rid of items you no longer need or want but are reluctant to surrender.

- PAM ROBINSON

“How to Read Buildings: A Crash Course in Architectural Styles,” by Carol Davidson Cragoe (Rizzoli Publications, $17.95): If the terms Baroque or Rococo are foreign to you, this is the perfect book. The author gives us a guided tour to understanding buildings by learning to spot historical and architectural clues. This compact book tells us about Christian domes, interior wall coverings, porticos, classical orders and a lot more as we move from ancient building principles and styles on through 20th Century chimneys and fireplaces, with hundreds of sketches to help readers identify what they’re seeing in structures.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Choosing Blue: Color You Can Live With” by Stephanie Hoppen (Watson-Guptill Publications, $19.95): Surveys often show that blue is the favorite color of many people, and this book shows why. Every imaginable shade, used on dozens of items, from ceilings to vases, living-room furniture to bathroom tile, is on display in this eye-catching book -- originally released in 2006 but newly released in paperback -- featuring French, cool, indigo, turquoise, modern, Mediterranean and many other varieties. Photos show how to match or contrast blues with other colors while showing ways to decorate otherwise ordinary spaces. Tips on choosing the right shade include advice on color saturation, picking the right textiles to carry specific hues and samples from Ralph Lauren, Benjamin Moore and other paint lines. Some come in much closer to purple or green, but they are still pretty striking and true-blue fans will love them all.

- PAM ROBINSON

“The Landlord’s Kit” by Jeffrey Taylor (Kaplan, $18.95): This book consists primarily of lists and forms the author suggests that any owner of rental apartments or houses use to prevent legal problems and protect property. Forms include rental applications, utility transfer forms, warnings of improper behavior and a host of other issues. Advice to landlords includes how to welcome a new tenant, conduct an annual inspection of the property, deal with problem tenants, generate consistent income, reduce lead hazards, keep good records and maintain good relationships with tenants. The book is aimed at owners of single or multiple units.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing With Handmade Stamps, Stencils and Silk Screens” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $27.50) by Lena Corwin: You can dress up a drab room by following the step-by-step techniques explained and illustrated in this handsome book. Stencils on used furniture, stamps on fabric, paperless wallpaper, the Japanese art of furoshiki using cloth to wrap gifts and frames for silkscreen artwork are among the many techniques that beginners as well as experienced crafters can try. The explanations are crystal clear and the photos show exactly how to carry out each step to achieve the desired result.

- PAM ROBINSON

“The Nest Home Design Handbook: Simple Ways to Decorate, Organize and Personalize Your Place,” by Carley Roney, $22.95): There’s a little something in this book for almost everyone looking to redo their homes. Divided into five chapters -- live, eat, sleep (including bathroom tips) and stash -- the book provides guidance on furniture, color choices, room arrangements, getting rid of clutter and cleanup. The book includes a page of furniture cutouts so that a reader can play around with designing a room on paper; a glossary of bedding terms, explaining, for example, the difference between Egyptian and pima cotton; tips on arranging your kitchen countertop; advice on arranging wall hangings and a lot more. Well illustrated with photos and drawings, this book offers plenty of ideas.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Great Houses of New England” by Roderic H. Blackburn (Rizzoli, $55): Lush estates, tall ceilings, grand staircases and intricately designed entranceways and fireplace surrounds are among the many elements of the grand old homes featured in this hefty book. Colorful photos and text detailing the history of many homes take us on a tour of such estates as the Harrison Gray Otis brick home in Boston, Edith Wharton’s home and gardens, known as The Mount, in Lenox, Mass., Hill-Stead in Farmington, owned by Alfred Pope, and the MacPheadris-Warner house in Portsmouth, N.H. Many reflect the great wealth of their shipping magnate, merchant or banker owners; others, maintained with history in mind, tell us something about how their inhabitants lived in the time leading up to or just after the American Revolution. The Jeremiah Lee home built in 1767 in Marblehead, Mass., reflects the owners’ desire to imitate the look of English mansions. The 1881 home of Isaac Bell Jr. in Newport, R.I., copies the style of the American Colonial era. In Stratford, Vt., the Justin S. Morrill homestead, built in 1848, shows a rural Gothic Revival look. Many rooms use a great deal of oak or stone for structural or decorative purposes. The author includes a timetable of English and American architectural periods, from Tudor to Hanover, and styles, from Elizabethan to Art Moderne.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Color at Home: Creating Style With Paint” by Meg and Steven Roberts (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $29.95): This book delivers on its promise to show splendid rooms of deep, rich color, sometimes in hues that ordinarily might not appeal to homeowners. The book’s pages run through the full color palette, starting with red and ending with black and white. Some of the color choices are startling: There’s a photo of an old-fashioned wall telephone, but it’s pink; interior walls go quickly from yellow to red. Considerable thought goes into matching, contrasting or blending, so that a home fronted by evergreen bushes gets painted with a misty green; a vase of daffodils is reflected in a bedroom mirror showing walls of butter yellow. Particularly effective, if unspoken, is that careful color selection can remake a room or an entire house without a huge investment of time or money. The authors are believers in the effect of color on mood and these pages certainly show how different they can appear because of relatively minor changes in color and decisions about what furniture or simple accessories will go with those choices.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Confessions of a Subprime Lender” by Richard Bitner (Wiley, $19.95): From his vantage point as a former president and cofounder of a mortgage company, the author wants to tell readers what went wrong in the industry, hitting these main points: why nearly three out of every four mortgages were misleading or fraudulent; how unscrupulous brokers tricked lenders and borrowers; how brokers and lenders turned unqualified applicants into "qualified borrowers" and why Wall Street and rating agencies are largely to blame for the collapse. Bitner believes fraud and greed too often overwhelmed common sense and there are plenty of guilty parties. This is not a terribly in-depth look at the problem or a whole lot of new information but the stories he tells will confirm what people already suspect: People working in the mortgage industry got carried away with making money.

- PAM ROBINSON

"House Call: Foolproof Tricks of the Trade from a Master Contractor” by Ed Del Grande (Viking Studio, $15.95): The author, host of HGTVPro.com and DIY Network shows encourages homeowners to know what their house is all about before taking on projects -- learn about the plumbing, heat and electrical systems first. Then he takes on a series of projects and through easy directions and illustrations, he shows us how to clear a sink clog, replace a showerhead, change ceiling light fixtures, install wainscoting, repair damaged drywall and a lot more. His biggest emphasis, though, is knowing what the house already has and making sure homeowners understand how their house functions so they know realistically what jobs they can safely tackle.

- PAM ROBINSON

"Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use and Avoid" by Marianne Cusato and Ben Pentreath (Sterling Publishing, $29.95): This is a terrific book for anyone who wants to learn more about building principles or ever looked at a house and realized that something was wrong but didn't know what. Visual concerns drive this book, though many purely practical matters are addressed as well. Hundreds of line drawings show us right from wrong: shutters and railings combined in a way that don't allow for the shutters to open; complex roof designs that involve too many combinations of slopes and geometry; disproportionate windows or doors for the size of the wall; garage doors that are two bays wide, causing a visual overemphasis on the horizontal and dozens of other architectural violations. The authors firmly believe in classic architectural principles that they find adaptable to contemporary styles and fashions. What they don't care for is boring and ugly contemporary designs that fail to follow these principles. They devote a lot of words to the use of columns, parapets, posts and cornices and show us what works right and what doesn't. In each example, we are introduced to the language of architecture and the methods needed to achieve the best style so that a reader will not only know what works or doesn’t but be able to articulate the issues with an architect or builder. This book is thoroughly educational, a nice tool on a stroll through a downtown area or neighborhood where buildings can be judged by the principles so clearly explained by the authors.

- PAM ROBINSON

"The Adirondack Chair" by Daniel Mack (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $17.95): From its humble beginning as a quick solution to outdoor seating needs, the Adirondack chair has defined a place in American furniture design. The author looks at how the chair was first developed in 1903 and how its basic style designs -- low-slung, wide arms, slatted seats and backs -- remain popular today. With this bright and colorful book, we get dozens of photos of old and new chairs, examples of vintage newspaper ads touting the chairs virtues and even a guide to building such a chair. This is a fun and charming book, filled with anecdotes and bits of Americana.

- PAM ROBINSON

"500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs" (Lark Books, $24.95): Top furniture makers' works are lovingly shown in this collection of distinctive, well-designed contemporary chairs. Work by Sam Maloof, Judy Kensley McKie and Gary Knox Bennett get photo closeups. These are not ordinary chairs, of course; they bend and twist and are made of such material as bronze or walnut or tubular steel. Jon Brooks offers one called "Dodge Hill," which looks like a cross between a chair and a ladder, with antlers or tree branches completing the look. Nava Silverberg has created "Me, Myself and I," with faces carved into the sides of the seat. Susan Broidy's "Body Chair" is just that -- resting on a wooden human nude frame. Each has a distinctive look and show us furniture as artwork. Some are functional; others are just for fun. A few are not even recognizable as chairs even as they decorate the room. This book is part of Lark's 500 series featuring 500-item collections of contemporary design.

- PAM ROBINSON

"Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods" by Lynne Elizabeth and Cassandra Adams (Wiley, $45): Combining contemporary building approaches and more traditional methods based on natural materials, this overview assesses the value of each style of construction. It examines the use of clay, straw, rammed earth style, adobe, bamboo and other materials that will work with modern processes to create buildings that have less negative impact on their surroundings while providing comfort and safety to its inhabits. Experts, more than 30 in all in various types of construction, contribute a chapter or more while overall the book makes a strong argument for smarter, less wasteful approach.

-PAM ROBINSON

“Junk Beautiful: Room by Room Makeovers With Junkmarket Style” by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer (Taunton Press, $25): Trash turns into treasure when these authors go hunting for ways to redecorate on a budget. Searching flea markets, Dumpsters and tag sales, the two show how to create a unique look while not spending a small fortune. Their ability to find and re-imagine how to use cast-off items is pretty amazing: a chicken feeder turns into a light fixture; a cart from a flour mill turns into a reading-room table; a broken piece of ceramic trim becomes a stand for a vase. There are dozens of examples of repurposed items, each distinctive in its own way and used to refurbish a tired-looking style. Their collecting and redesign ideas combine to create comfortable, attractive living spaces and take what was junk out of the trash heap.

- PAM ROBINSON

"Housebuilding: A Do-It-Yourself Guide” by R.J. DeCristoforo and Mary DeCristoforo (Sterling, $24.95): This is a book for those serious about home construction and the many jobs that such a project would entail. Starting with a discussion of building and zoning codes, the book takes potential builders through every aspect of construction, from site selection to soundproofing, roof construction to electrical work. Those more interested in smaller projects instead of the whole house -- replacing windows, or installing gutters, for example -- will also find this large, readable book to be quite useful.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Casa San Miguel: Inspired Design and Decoration” by Annie Kelly and Tim Street-Porter (Rizzoli, $55): Seventeen colorful and stylish homes of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, are on view in this book, which features more than 250 photos. The tour of the historic town, home to many artisans as well as American expatriates, runs the range from old villas to contemporary townhouses. Readers get a look at statuary, brightly painted walls, courtyards, gardens, roofs, rustic architectural gems and a lot more. The photos of sunlit, colorful homes against bright blue skies are stunningly beautiful.

- PAM ROBINSON

"Small Strawbale: Natural Homes, Projects and Designs," by Bill Steen, Athena Swentzell Steen and Wayne J. Bingham (Gibbs Smith, $29.95): A number of builders are turning to straw for its insulation and sturdy qualities, as well as its environmental value, this book says. With loads of photos, floor plans and sketches, the authors show us how to put together sheds, small studios, cottages, outdoor walls and fences using straw as both foundation and wall structures or pure insulation, reducing the volume of wasted resources and chemically treated material. Bales of straw are frequently, though not always, plastered by clay or other material. Step-by-step instructions guide would-be builders through the process. The book is both a practical guide and an explanation of environmental thinking.

- PAM ROBINSON

"Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them: 1001 Labor-Saving Devices for Farm, Garden, Dairy, and Workshop" (Skyhorse Publishing, $14.95): If you feel the need to learn how to reinforce a stone wall, press hay, make a device to clean a horse's hooves or build a dam for a pond, this book is a great starting point. This is an updated version of a book first published in 1897 and retains much of the old-fashioned language, with all its plainspoken charm. The book reminds us of just how much work a pre-industrial farm requires while giving us information on contraptions we can build if we're so inclined. You may not want to know how to use hogs to convert straw into manure for fertilizer but the advice on building a trellis for tomatoes is useful and timeless. The book makes for wonderful reading with its insight into our agricultural past.

- PAM ROBINSON

“American Foreclosure: Everything You Need to Know about Preventing and Buying” by Trevor Rhodes (McGraw Hill, $25.95): This book examines foreclosures from the perspective of the homeowner and a buyer by providing extensive details on state-by-state forms and legal procedures. The author is not only a real-estate professional; he says he lost his first home to foreclosure and so knows the pain of losing a property. His main topics are: preventing foreclosure and avoiding scams; discovering financial options and risks; understanding the foreclosure process; communicating and negotiating with lenders; finding and buying foreclosed properties. The book is accompanied by a CD that includes forms, resources, property listings and other materials.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Dr. Johnson’s Doorknob and Other Significant Parts of Great Men’s Houses” by Liz Workman (Rizzoli International Publications, $25): Washington Irving’s desk, Sir Winston Churchill’s banisters and Charles Darwin’s bookshelves are among the many household items shown in close-up detail. A peek at Thomas Jefferson’s books may well shed some light on his intellect and interest; a look at Samuel Morse’s skirting board, less so but still interesting. We get a look at what these men saw in their day-to-day lives and some items that added style to their homes: mirrors, doorknobs, crockery, beds and chairs are among the items shown in this book.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Weekend Millionaire Secrets to Negotiating Real Estate” by Mike Summey and Roger Dawson (McGraw Hill, $18.95): The authors, one a major real estate investor and the other a specialist in negotiations, have teamed up to show people several tips, including how to get the best deal, whether they’re buying or selling. They use a series of anecdotes and personal experiences to teach people how avoid taking the first offer, how to make a good counteroffer, ways to determine the personal styles of negotiators and dealing with people from other cultures. They both clearly love the business of wheeling and dealing and their advice is particularly useful for those who are uncomfortable trying to negotiate. While their focus is on real estate, some of their ideas could be adapted to other kinds of negotiations.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Porches, Decks and Patios: Popular Mechanics’ MoneySmart Makeovers” by Rick Peters (Hearst Books, $19.95): Nine makeovers of outdoor spaces are shown here. Remakes of the same porch, patio and deck areas are done three times, on economy, midrange and luxury budgets to show what is possible. The author starts with the planning stage, making sure homeowners know just what they want and get the right materials before starting the project. Each renovation gets its own before and after photos and real homes are used to make sure budgets and ideas stay within bounds. Each project gets a set of clear instructions, often accompanied by photos or charts, to make the job a little easier.

- PAM ROBINSON

“Remodeling on the Money,” by Alan J. Heavens (Kaplan Publishing, $19.95): Homeowners wanting to spruce up their houses would be wise to start with this book. It’s less a how-to book than a series of 15 cost-effective ideas to consider: Change the lighting system in the bathroom, add radiant heating, redo basements to keep them dry, insulate the whole house, relocate or stack appliances to accommodate older buyers and so on. Environmental tips are scattered throughout the book, and project ideas include cost and time estimates. Each project gets its own chapter; each highlighted idea is included because buyers often express interest in homes with that improvement. Extra bathrooms, for example, or more efficient heating systems are popular, as the book notes.

"Your First Home: the Proven Path to Home Ownership," by Gary Keller (McGraw Hill, $16.95): This is a simple, straightforward guide to home ownership for rookies, with advice on finding an agent, figuring out what you can afford, obtaining financing, finding a home and making an offer, spotting flaws in the house and closing the deal. There also are some tips on overcoming less-than-ideal credit problems. This is a useful book for those just starting to think about the process.

"Guide to Advanced Investing Techniques You Won't Learn Anywhere Else" by Alexis McGee (Wiley, $21.95): This is a serious book for people who already know something about buying foreclosed properties and are ready to take advantage of the mortgage problems many people are experiencing.The book emphasizes ways to, as the author puts it, make the situation a win-win for both homeowner and foreclosure investor. The book includes state-by-state rules governing foreclosure steps, including eviction, ways to make the latter happen more smoothly and less painfully, cautions about courthouse auctions, buying deeds of trust, short sales, and several sample documents. There's also an index of terms. The author makes an effort to encourage foreclosure investors to think at least a little about the family losing its home.

- PAM ROBINSON

“House Call: Foolproof Tricks of the Trade from a Master Contractor” by Ed Del Grande (Viking Studio, $15.95): The author, host of HGTVPro.com and DIY Network shows encourages homeowners to know what their house is all about before taking on projects -- learn about the plumbing, heat and electrical systems first. Then he takes on a series of projects and through easy directions and illustrations, he shows us how to clear a sink clog, replace a showerhead, change ceiling light fixtures, install wainscoting, repair damaged drywall and a lot more. His biggest emphasis, though, is knowing what the house already has and making sure homeowners understand how their house functions so they know realistically what jobs they can safely tackle.

- PAM ROBINSON

"Seven Steps to Sold" by Donna and Shannon Freeman (Three Rivers Press, $14.95): This mother-daughter real-estate team takes an enthusiastic approach with advice on how to sell your home relatively painlessly. They are, of course, opposed to working without an agent and offer dozens of ways agents can help the process, from properly wording an ad to must-fixes to guidance about deposits, taxes and sales agreements. They include a 99-item list of chores to be completed by anyone planning to sell their home and offer advice in these seven categories: Know what you want, find an agent you're comfortable with, figure out what buyers want, remodel, repair and renew, set the stage to sell, close the deal and move out and on.

-PAM ROBINSON

Even if you’ve just spent millions of dollars on a new vacation home, you’ll never really fit in out East until you understand the local lingo and the ways of the uber rich. Thankfully, just in time for summer, two new guides are here to help.

Last year, Miles Jaffe, son of reknowned architect Norman Jaffe, self-published his satirical "Hamptons Dictionary: The Essential Guide to Class Warfare". Now he’s back with an expanded and upgraded "platinum" edition published by The Disinformation Company ($17.95).

Whether you’re in BriHa (Bridgehampton), EaHa (East Hampton), SoHa (Southampton), NoHi (North of Montauk Hightway) or SoHi (South of Montauk Highway), it’s all “unreal estate” in the Hamptons. Renting a share for the summer? Then you’re a “hampster” or a “grouper,” or better yet, a “bottom feeder." Saw a Hamptons home listed for sale for less than $1 million? That’s called “affordable housing.” Don’t know what to call your neighbor’s newly built 10,000-square-foot house? It’s a “McMansion” or “megacottage” and your neighbor is a “McMoron” living in a “rich man’s Levittown.”

If you’re still perplexed about the ways of the truly rich, The Official Filthy Rich Handbook" (Workman Publishing, $11.95). will help. The new title pokes fun at the way the rich dress, shop, party and vacation. Summer hotspots include the Hamptons, of course, where Amagansett, Springs and Sag Harbor are “hippie-luxe”; East Hampton is a refuge for “WASPs”, and Southampton has become somewhat “flash.”

The book also has practical advice for anyone in the new-money set, like a list of star-worthy decorators that includes Hamptonites Campion Platt, Jamie Drake and Victoria Hagan. There's even a primer on staffing your new house, making sure to keep straight the pecking order and duties of a housekeeper, a nanny, a chauffer, a valet, a maid and a chef. And if you're looking for a place to network, skip the Maidstone Club unless you're a true blue-blood, and check the listings on The Atlantic Golf Club or The Bridge, both in Bridgehampton, or the Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton.

For those not interested in the Hamptons scene, the Handbook also gives a nod to Long Island's North Shore with an entry on Locust Valley, where $18 million will get you a waterfront Mediterranean-style mansion and neighbors like Nelson Doubleday Jr.

What’s in a luxury bathroom? Plenty — for some it’s the most Zen place in the entire house — especially if the kids aren’t banging down the door. Somewhere along the line, these private spaces became less of a pit stop and more of a really pleasant — and often tranquil environment.

Check out some of these swanky bathrooms which will be be published this fall in “The Luxury Bathroom” book: In one Sagaponack weekend retreat, belonging to Diane and Craig Soloman, each have their own bathroom. But it’s Craig who went for the show stopper.

According the book, Diane wanted calm, peaceful and practical. Her bathroom is described as an “airy, hushed room with dark-stained wide-plank floors and wood-paneled walls painted soothing cream.” The focal point is “a voluptuous freestanding tub with an undulating profile.” An antique silver-leaf vanity mirror, a metal console made from a vintage armor box, and pieces from the Soloman’s growing art collection appear to complete the room.

As for Craig — the walls in his bathroom are striped with bold horizontal bands of limestone and beige marble, which “play off exotic accents like the rosewood vanity, which is repurposed 1960s Danish console.” A rosewood armoire stands in the corner. And his glass shower is all about the fixtures and multiple shower heads.

Another airy and spacious bathroom featured in the book, also in the Hamptons, has black and white subway tile, a vintage looking steam shower, an oversized tub and a pair of custom cherry vanities, including one to apply makeup.

This bathroom was included in the renovation of the 1930s farmhouse -- a weekend retreat for designer Betty Wasserman. According to the book, Wasserman wanted the "bathroom's interior to mesh seamlessly with the rest of the house," which she is calling a country-modern style. A high contrast palette of ebonized woods are offset by the black and white subway tile.
The ebonized wood floor and the cherry vanities compliment each other.

What's really impressive is this bathroom's storage. A mirrored medicine cabinet was installed above the sink and beside it, a low slung glass fronted unit for towels as described in the article. And how's this for creative? The cabinet was salvaged from the kitchen, where it hung on a wall. The designer added legs and set it on the floor. It's just the right height for her 5-year-old daughter too.

For more on Long Island bathrooms, read today's Newsday story here.

Photographer Elliott Erwitt's East Hampton house is one of dozens featured in the new book "America At Home: A Close-Up Look at How We Live," out in April from Running Press. The book came out of a week-long project last September in which "100 of the top photojournalists and millions of Americans documented the concept of home." The photo of Erwitt's house features his two young grandchildren -- Phoebe, 7, and Jesse, 5 -- standing inside whimsically painted school lockers. Since the two were toddlers, they have always climbed inside the lockers as soon as they arrived at their grandfather's home "to see how much they've grown since their last visit." Among its 250 photos is another of a nearby home that's on the market. "On a quiet East Hampton lane, minutes away from the train that brings commuters into Manhattan, a brand-new house glows brightly, waiting for prospective buyers to tour its four bedrooms. While most of America is reeling from the subprime mortgage crisis, a few communities like this one ... maintain their value." One reason? "President Clinton spent his summer vacations there, two First Ladys spent their youths playing on the town's beaches, and famed artist Jackson Pollock created his most famous paintings in East Hampton."

The new book "Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York (W.W. Norton, $50)" pulls together essays, photographs and a catalog of planning programs that highlight the master builder’s impact on the metropolitan landscape.

Love him or hate him, Moses opened up Long Island to the masses. For years, he reigned over the Long Island State Parks Commission, a group that was responsible for creating a string of parks linked by parkways stretching from the Queens line to Montauk Point. Thirteen parkways, including the Southern State, Northern State and the Meadowbrook, were built during his tenure. Heckscher State Park, Belmont Lake State Park and Jones Beach State Park were also developed by Moses as leisure destinations for the everyman.