Delirious New York investigates the variety of human behavior using New York city as a metaphor. The culture explosion of the terminal 19th century made Manhattan a laboratory for the invention and testing of a metropolitan lifestyle. Koolhaas interprets and reinterprets the dynamic relationship between architecture and culture in a number of telling episodes of New York's history. An essential read for anyone interested in urban design and a seminal work of the twentieth century, this is a top notch gift!