And so Ed Koch--the 105th mayor of the city whose fans would argue is actually the center of the universe--defines the essence of his beloved melting pot in the introduction to New York: A State of Mind. "This electricity comes from a population that is so different than the rest of the United States because we have the sons and daughters of every country, of every state in the Union," he describes, his very words reverberating with the footsteps of thousands of hopeful immigrants.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where Koch claims to purchase all of his ties) to the Central Park Zoo and the Statue of Liberty, New York City captures the imagination of all who visit. Complete with hundreds of images culled from the area's finest photographers, New York: A State of Mind tells the story of this metropolis on the move. From the book's pages, buildings glimmer, food entices, and urbanity reaches on, all with the momentum of an eclectic and diverse citizenry. In Chinatown and in Little Italy, in Brooklyn and in the Bronx, a world of cultures meets under a looming skyline.

As native son Koch eloquently surmises, "Only in New York."