Home to the notorious Blue Book, which listed the names and addresses of every prostitute living in the city, New Orleans's infamous red-light district gained a reputation as one of the most raucous in the world. But the New Orleans underworld consisted of much more than the local bordellos. It was also well known as the early gambling capital of the United States, and sported one of the most violent records of street crime in the country. In The French Quarter, Herbert Asbury, author of The Gangs of New York, chronicles this rather immense underbelly of The Big Easy. From the murderous exploits of Mary Jane Bricktop Jackson and Bridget Fury, two prostitutes who became famous after murdering a number of their associates, to the faux-revolutionary filibusters who, backed by hundreds of thousands of dollars of public support -- though without official governmental approval -- undertook military missions to take over the bordering Spanish regions in Texas, the French Quarter had it all. Once again, Asbury takes the reader on an intriguing, photograph-filled journey through a unique version of the American underworld.

The history of the Barbary Coast properly begins with the gold rush to California in 1849. If the precious yellow metal hadn't been discovered . . . the development of San Francisco's underworld in all likelihood would have been indistinguishable from that of any other large American city. Instead, owing almost entirely to the influx of gold-seekers and the horde of gamblers, thieves, harlots, politicians, and other felonious parasites who battened upon them, there arose a unique criminal district that for almost seventy years was the scene of more viciousness and depravity, but which at the same time possessed more glamour, than any other area of vice and iniquity on the American continent. The Barbary Coast is Herbert Asbury's classic chronicle of the birth of San Francisco -- a violent explosion from which the infant city emerged full-grown and raging wild. From all over the world practitioners of every vice stampeded for the blood and money of the gold fields. Gambling dens ran all day including Sundays. From noon to noon houses of prostitution offered girls of every age and race. (In the 1850s, San Francisco was home to only one woman for every thirty men. It was not until 1910 that the sexes achieved anything close to parity in their populations.) This is the story of the banditry, opium bouts, tong wars, and corruption, from the eureka at Sutter's Mill until the last bagnio closed its doors seventy years later.

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.

First published in 1928, Herbert Asbury's The Gangs of New York is probably best remembered today as the source material for Martin Scorsese's 2002 film of the same name. According to the original publisher's announcement this is a history of New York's underworld, from its beginnings in revolutionary times down to its virtual end as an organized force for evil during the first decade of the present century. The Gangs of New York is all of this and much more, a rogues' gallery of arch criminals who spread terror in little old New York when the Bowery flourished. Chinatown was lurid with feuds, and Five Points was a place to avoid both by day and night. An important contribution to American criminology at the end of the 19th century, this volume contains vivid accounts of gang methods, the draft riots, the tong wars, the Bowery, Hell's Kitchen, Tammany Hall's relation to the gangs, and an amazing glossary of underworld slang. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

This classic history of crime tells how Chicago's underworld earned -- and kept -- its reputation. Recounting the lives of such notorious denizens as the original Mickey Finn, the mass murderer H. H. Holmes, and the three Car Barn Bandits, Asbury reveals life as it was lived in the criminal districts of the Levee, Hell's Half-Acre, the Bad Lands, Little Cheyenne, Custom House Place, and the Black Hole. His description of Chicago's infamous red light district -- where the brothels boasted opulence unheard of before or since -- vividly captures the wicked splendor that was Chicago. The Gangs of Chicago spans from the time Slab Town was settled to Prohibition days. The story of Chicago's golden age of crime climaxes with a dramatic account of the careers of the biggest of the Big Shots Big Jim Colosimo, Terrible Johnny Torrio, and the elusive Al Capone. Photographs and illustrations round out this telling of Chicago's early underworld. Still the most detailed, reliable, and readable account of the nether side of Chicago's first century, deserves reading and rereading . . . -- Perry R. Duis, Chicago historian

An absorbing and at times ironical humorous picture of the battle of Prohibition. Recommended. -- Library Journal
With the passing of the Volstead Act, the United States embraced Prohibition as the law of the land. From 1920 to 1933, the well-intentioned ban of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors gave rise to a flourishing culture of bootleggers, gangsters, and corrupt officials. This witty and perceptive history by Herbert Asbury, the bestselling author of The Gangs of New York, offers a wide-ranging survey of the Prohibition era that covers not only twentieth-century events but also the movement's inception in colonial times and its transformation into a religious crusade.
A considerable portion of Americans viewed the end of liquor trafficking as an act of obedience to God's will and anticipated a new era of peace and prosperity. Instead, a vast criminal network of black market profiteers took root, promoting a spirit of lawlessness throughout the country. The Great Illusion charts all aspects of the period's moral decline, from the activities of rumrunners who supplied speakeasies to those of crooked politicians and police who profited from the failed experiment of Prohibition.

Sucker's Progress is a comprehensive and engaging account of the history of gambling in America, from the earliest colonial settlements to the height of the Gilded Age. Written by renowned journalist and historian Herbert Asbury, the book offers a fascinating look at the various forms of gambling that have been popular throughout American history, including lotteries, horse racing, cockfighting, and the rise of the modern casino.Asbury's writing is lively and engaging, and he brings to life the colorful characters and larger-than-life personalities that have populated the world of gambling throughout the centuries. From the legendary gambler John Law to the notorious gambler and saloon owner Diamond Jim Brady, Asbury paints a vivid picture of the people who have shaped the gambling industry in America.The book also explores the social and cultural implications of gambling in America, including its impact on politics, economics, and morality. Asbury examines the ways in which gambling has been both celebrated and condemned throughout American history, and he offers a nuanced perspective on the complex relationship between gambling and American society.Overall, Sucker's Progress is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of gambling in America. With its engaging writing style, colorful characters, and insightful analysis, this book is sure to captivate readers from start to finish.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

This volume collects 24 creep tales from the early days of Weird Tales. Included are contributions by H.P. Lovecraft, Seabury Quinn, Frank Belknap Long, and many others. Classic chills

Up from Methodism, a classical book, has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.