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Description. The book details the rise and fall of 19th century gangs in New York City, prior to the domination of the Italian-American Mafia during Prohibition in the 1920s. Focusing on the saloon halls, gambling dens, and winding alleys of the Bowery and the Five Points district of Lower Manhattan, the book evokes the destitution and violence ...
Gangs of New York covers the expansive history of both disorganized and organized crime in Manhattan, for the most part taking place in the Five Points and Bowery region of the island, all the way into the new century, which saw the death of the gangster and the birth of the mobster.
- (3.9K)
- Paperback
Jan 1, 2002 · Points to the early era of New York when lawlessness reigned. Speaks of rival gangs that essentially ran a turf war of bribery, corruption, & bartering. The essential theme was this was the time of the great immigration to Ellis Island-namely the Irish vs the natives-those of German & Dutch descent who were already settled here.
- (62)
- Paperback
- Martin Scorsese
Sep 12, 2023 · Gangs of New York was loosely based on a real story, which Scorsese learned about after reading Herbert Asbury's book The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld. The book covers the time period as Scorsese's film, but unsurprisingly, much of the latter's story was fictionalized.
Jul 1, 2008 · A great book about gangs in New York City from around 1840 to 1925. Well written and paced with plenty of descriptions of gangsters and what they did. The sheer volume of vivid and detailed examples of violent and thieving acts without respite can make it a difficult read.
- (420)
- Herbert Asbury
- $15.39
- Vintage
In 1970, Scorsese came across Herbert Asbury's book The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld (1927) about the city's nineteenth-century criminal underworld and found it to be a revelation.
Mar 23, 2003 · March 23, 2003. • 9 min read. Good-time girls swing from rafters in oversize canary cages, sword-slinging mobs rule the streets, and murder lurks in every corner. This is Manhattan's infamous Five...