Bibliograph

The gangs of New York, an informal history of the underworld

Type

Label

The gangs of New York, an informal history of the underworld

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The gangs of New York

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Sub title

an informal history of the underworld

Summary

Herbert Asbury presents here a vivid and startling account of New York gangdom from its beginning in Revolutionary times to comparatively recent days. Here are the stories of the great gangs which terrorized the city and at times menaced its very existence-from the Bowery Boys and the Dead Rabbits to the Gophers and the Eastmans. Kid Dropper, Dopey Benny, Gyp the Blood and Owney Madden are a few of the gangster luminaries described, not to mention such female evildoers as Gallus Mag and Sadie the Goat. Nor have the underworld's lesser lights been overlooked; for these pages are crowded with a host of gang warriors, pickpockets, tong leaders, murderers, politicians, gamblers, prostitutes, dive-keepers and a few would-be reformers. Mr. Asbury has created such a rich, factual background for this chronicle of crime and gangsterism that the book gains considerable stature as a revealing picture of New York City's history through a century of frenzied growth and expansion. Whether you read it as such or merely for amusement, it is a swift, exciting experience

Target audience

adult

Classification