The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury

The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury

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.

Herbert Asbury, a writer in the early twentieth century, created a name for himself by photographing the underbelly of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and New Orleans, where gangs, pimps, prostitutes, and thieves thrived. His paintings are frequently recognized as the best photographs of his time period, despite the fact that they are still in print after seventy-five years. Martin Scorcese's 2003 film The Gangs of New York was based on the book.