In The Late Spring Of 2023, Passersby on one of New York's busiest corners-31st Street and Ninth Avenue, next door to Penn Station, one of the world's largest commuter and train hubs, and to the Madison Square Garden arena-found themselves in unexpected company: Adam and Eve, the biblical first couple, realized as sculpture by the American artist Charles Ray. Made out of solid, glisterning stainless steel and reaching almost nine feet high, the two figures-he standing, she seated-take their place at the edge of the plaza surrounding a grand new pair of skyscrapers developed by Brookfield Properties. This book examines Adam and Eve through a penetrating and wide-ranging essay by the distinguished art historian Darby English, who over two years closely followed the production of the work and engaged in extended dialogue with the artist. A portfolio of acutely observed photographs explores both precisely chosen details of the figures and their relationship to each other and to their site. How do Adam and Eve come to be interacting with the public on a busy Manhattan street? This book offers the best possible guide to their presence.