Manhattan: The Rising War (Studio Edition)
Experience the Wonders of Manhattan with Legendary Towers and Mythic Battles...
Step into a New York City unlike any you’ve ever known. MANHATTAN: THE RISING WAR (STUDIO EDITION) by Sal Cosenza transforms the skyline into living titans, where skyscrapers breathe and legends stride through the streets. Inspired by Cosenza’s acclaimed painting series, this edition fuses epic storytelling with a rare glimpse into the creative process, inviting readers to experience both the mythic narrative and the art that gave rise to it.
Inside, you’ll discover the city reimagined: Lady Liberty reborn as a colossal tower of hope; the ancient deities Schist and Pegmatite embodying life and fury; and Manhattan itself revealed as a character—resilient, visionary, and endlessly evolving. Alongside the novel’s sweeping battles of creation versus destruction, this Studio Edition unveils never-before-seen sketches, concept drawings, production notes, and five monumental paintings crafted over nearly two decades.
A true hybrid of literature and art, MANHATTAN: THE RISING WAR (STUDIO EDITION) is more than a book—it is an immersive exhibition. Bold, imaginative, and visually stunning, it offers readers both a gripping adventure and a front-row seat to the artistic journey behind it. For those who crave stories built as much in paint as in prose, this is Manhattan risen anew.
Bio
Sal Cosenza is an artist, design professor, and bestselling author, whose work often depicts anthropomorphic characterizations of famous buildings and other iconography. He is the creator of over 180 paintings and several acclaimed artwork series, including the award-winning MANHATTAN, MONUSCAPE, and DOMESTIC NEW YORK collections, while his short stories and illustrations have been featured in the widely-circulated Commercial Observer real estate publication. Sal teaches Interior Design and Interior Architecture courses at Arizona State University, and he often co-hosts the “Abstract Essay” podcast with Daniel Lucas. He lives in Arizona.
Praise for this book
Cosenza doesn't just anthropomorphize towers; he gives them conscience, conflict, and courage. It's architectural literature at its most daring.
Trissa Tismal-Capili USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author
Sal has created something truly special with "Manhattan: The Rising War." From the first page, the surreal atmosphere of his world pulls you in, an alternate Manhattan that feels both mythic and familiar, where history, architecture, and imagination collide. As an architect, illustrator, and educator, I deeply admire the way Sal explores the possibilities of form and space using drawing as a thinking tool. His sketches are not just illustrations, they're homages to New York's iconic architecture, reimagined in daring and unexpected ways.
Victor J. Irizarry Architect and Comic Book Writer/Illustrator
