Summary: Publisher Summary 1 A journey into the swampy area of New Jersey five miles outside of Manhattan--widely considered to among the least attractive locales in the country--describes its memorable characters, remarkable wildlife, corpses, and pollution. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.   Publisher Summary 2 Explores the New Jersey swamp area called the Hackensack Meadowlands, describing its history of pollution, wildlife, abandoned construction projects, criminal activity, and hidden natural beauty   Publisher Summary 3 Imagine a grunge nort Jersey version of John McPhee's classic The Pine Barrensand you'll get some idea of the idiosyncratic, fact-filled, and highly original work that is Robert Sullivan's The Meadowlands.聽聽Just five miles west of New York City, this vilified, half-developed, half-untamed, much dumped-on, and sometimes odiferous tract of swampland is home to rare birds and missing bodies, tranquil marshes and a major sports arena, burning garbage dumps and corporate headquarters, the remains of the original Penn Station--and maybe, just ,maybe, of the late Jimmy Hoffa.聽聽Robert Sullivan proves himself to be this fragile yet amazingly resilient region's perfect expolorer, historian, archaeologist, and comic bard.