The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld
First published in 1928, Herbert Asbury's whirlwind tour through the low-life of nineteenth-century New York has become an indispensible classic of urban history. \ Focusing on the saloon halls, gambling dens, and winding alleys of the Bowery and the notorious Five Points district, The Gangs of New York dramatically evokes the destitution and shocking violence of a turbulent era, when colorfully named criminals like Dandy John Dolan, Bill the Butcher, and Hell-Cat Maggie lurked in the...
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The Gangs of New York has long been hand-passed among its cult readership. It is a tour through a now unrecognizable city of abysmal poverty and habitual violence cobbled, as Luc Sante has written, “from legend, memory, police records, the self-aggrandizements of aging crooks, popular journalism, and solid historical research.” Asbury presents the definitive work on this subject, an illumination of the gangs of old New York that ultimately gave rise to the modern Mafia and its depiction in films like The Godfather. “A universal history of infamy [that] contains all the confusion and cruelty of the barbarian cosmologies....”—Jorge Luis Borges “The tale is one of blood, excitement and debauchery.”—The New York Times Book Review “The Gangs of New York is one of the essential works of the city....”—Luc Sante, The New York Review of Books Library Journal Journalist Asbury pulled this book together from several official sources, including police records as well as unofficial ones such as the rough memories of criminals. True to the title, the book is a history of crime both organized and not that permeated the dirty underbelly of New York City and its boroughs in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of these gangs were so vicious they would post signs warning police to stay out of their neighborhoods or else! The 1927 volume is the basis of Martin Scorsese's forthcoming film of the same name starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Titanic heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, so make sure to have at least one copy on hand. This edition contains numerous illustrations and a foreword by Jorge Luis Borges. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Foreword Russell Shorto xiIntroduction xiiiThe Cradle of the Gangs 1Early Gangs of the Bowery and Five Points 19Sin Along the Water Front 42River Pirates 57The Killing of Bill the Butcher 79The Police and Dead Rabbit Riots 92The Draft Riots 108The Draft Riots (Continued) 135When New York Was Really Wicked 158The King of the Bank Robbers 185The Whyos and Their Times 206Kingdoms of the Gangs 228The Prince of Gangsters 253The Wars of the Tongs 277The Last of the Gang Wars 302The Passing of the Gangster 321Slang of the Early Gangsters 349Bibliography 355Index 357
\ Library JournalJournalist Asbury pulled this book together from several official sources, including police records as well as unofficial ones such as the rough memories of criminals. True to the title, the book is a history of crime both organized and not that permeated the dirty underbelly of New York City and its boroughs in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of these gangs were so vicious they would post signs warning police to stay out of their neighborhoods or else! The 1927 volume is the basis of Martin Scorsese's forthcoming film of the same name starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Titanic heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, so make sure to have at least one copy on hand. This edition contains numerous illustrations and a foreword by Jorge Luis Borges. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.\ \
