The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld

by Herbert Asbury

Overview

The basis of Martin Scorcese's acclaimed 2003 film, The Gangs of New York is a dramatic and entertaining glimpse at a city's dark past.

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 shadows, and infamous gangs like the Plug Uglies, the Dead Rabbits, and the Bowery Boys ruled the streets. A rogues' gallery of prostitutes, pimps, poisoners, pickpockets, murderers, and thieves, Herbert Asbury's whirlwind tour through the low life of nineteenth-century New York has become an indispensible classic of urban history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307388988
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/01/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	286,588
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Herbert Asbury, an early 20th-century journalist, made a name for himself by documenting the gangs, pimps, prostitutes, and thieves that thrived in the underbellies of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and New Orleans. His works, still in print after seventy-five years, are often hailed as the best snapshots of their time period. The Gangs of New York was the basis of Martin Scorcese's 2003 film.

Table of Contents

Foreword   Russell Shorto     xi
Introduction     xiii
The Cradle of the Gangs     1
Early Gangs of the Bowery and Five Points     19
Sin Along the Water Front     42
River Pirates     57
The Killing of Bill the Butcher     79
The Police and Dead Rabbit Riots     92
The Draft Riots     108
The Draft Riots (Continued)     135
When New York Was Really Wicked     158
The King of the Bank Robbers     185
The Whyos and Their Times     206
Kingdoms of the Gangs     228
The Prince of Gangsters     253
The Wars of the Tongs     277
The Last of the Gang Wars     302
The Passing of the Gangster     321
Slang of the Early Gangsters     349
Bibliography     355
Index     357

Editorial Reviews

"A distinct contribution to Americana. . . . The tale is one of blood, excitement, and debauchery.”
—The New York Times

"One of the essential works of the city. . . . It owns a direct pipeline to the city's unconscious.”
—Luc Sante, author of Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York

“A univeral history of infamy, the history of the gangs of New York contains all the confusion and cruelty of the barbarian cosmologies.”
—Jorge Luis Borges

“One of the best American books of its kind. Mr. Asbury writes in a direct and engaging manner.”
—Edmund Pearson, The Saturday Review of Literature

From the Publisher

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.

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