Hell’s Kitchen Trash is a unique book that takes a detailed look at the garbage of this colorful, historic West Side neighborhood—from tiny to massive, appealing to disgusting, and seemingly ordinary to eerily bizarre. The photos in this book are snapshots of Hell’s Kitchen life as seen through its refuse. Author Richard Panchyk presents a photographic history of the discards of the area’s residents, commuters, and tourists, all of whom coexist and contribute to the diverse landscape of urban refuse, the many tons of trash generated every single day. From forlorn gloves to rejected recliners, and dumped dressers to fallen pizza, Hell’s Kitchen Trash presents a gritty look at the wide variety of objects we leave behind, whether intentionally or by accident.
RICHARD PANCHYK knew he wanted to be a writer by the time he was seven years old. He sold his first “book,” a four-page handwritten trivia booklet written on a folded piece of loose-leaf paper in runny blue ballpoint pen, to a third-grade classmate for a nickel. A native of Elmhurst, Queens, Richard attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, where a class on the fascinating history of New York ignited his interest in the area. He has published a total of thirty-four books, including nine titles on New York City and six on Long Island.