Read about another novel on the list.The Gangs of New York
by Herbert Asbury
Don't mess with the Bowery Boys, the Plug Uglies, or the Dead Rabbits. Gangs with such colorful names (and folks like Hell-Cat Maggie and Bill the Butcher) dominated the criminal underworld of New York at the turn of last century and fill Asbury's 1928 guide through the city's nastiest spots. Pulled together from police reports and first-hand interviews with criminals (and embellished by Asbury's taste for drama), it inspired Martin Scorcese's film of the same name. A delightful rogue's gallery of ne'er-do-wells who were probably less appealing in the flesh.
The Gangs of New York is on Russell Shorto's five best list of books on New York City history.
--Marshal Zeringue
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