Oddball New York

Lindley Farley's fond ""treatise"" on the evolving landscape of New York City takes the form of a cheerful picture book enlivened by Big Apple trivia and the occasional pop quiz (How many of the 11 SoHo and Greenwich Village streets whose names begin with B can one name?). Oddball New York features photographs of the city's buildings (""hi-rises on acid""), street signs (the intersection of avenues Miles and Davis), parks (Bennett Park, the highest point in the city at 265 feet above sea level) and landscapes (Rockaway Beach's boardwalk). For natives, transplants, and the merely curious, this playful volume is testimony to New York's attractions, both the celebrated and the unknown. ( Jan.)