Above New York

This is the eighth in a series ( Above Paris , Above London , etc.) of airborne photographic essays by Cameron, who takes his unique shots while leaning out of the door of a helicopter. Some photos of the boroughs and rivers of New York and environs are typical: panoramic shots of the Manhattan skyline or the Statue of Liberty, for example. But in these instances Cameron juxtaposes a historical picture with his subject, a jarring and instructive device. Most of the photographs don't need a backup; there are fresh views of the Lower East Side and of the Upper West Side, of central Harlem and bucolic Riverdale, Gracie Mansion and the Easter parade. Goldberger, in the descriptive captions for these 150-odd photos, laments the lack of grace and foresight in much of the architecture and city planning of today, but also gives praise where praise is due: the grandeur of the George Washington Bridge, the soaring Chrysler building, and ``one of the best rides New York has ever offered,'' the cable car crossing from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island. From the air, the city is clean, serene and altogether not what it seems on the ground. This is a new look at much- looked-at New York. (September)