The author of “Sidewalking” tracks down the elusive stories of a metropolis, one step at a time. By David L. Ulin.
Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York
“A cacophonous poem of democracy and greed, like the streets of New York themselves.”
―John Vernon, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Lucy Sante's Low Life is a portrait of America's greatest city, the riotous and anarchic breeding ground of modernity.
This is not the familiar saga of mansions, avenues, and robber barons, but the messy, turbulent, often murderous story of the city's slums; the teeming streetsscene of innumerable cons and crimes whose cramped and overcrowded housing is still a prominent feature of the cityscape.
Low Life voyages through Manhattan from four different directions. Part One examines the actual topography of Manhattan from 1840 to 1919; Part Two, the era's opportunities for vice and entertainmenttheaters and saloons, opium and cocaine dens, gambling and prostitution; Part Three investigates the forces of law and order which did and didn't work to contain the illegalities; Part Four counterposes the city's tides of revolt and idealism against the city as it actually was.
Low Life provides an arresting and entertaining view of what New York was actually like in its salad days. But it's more than simply a book about New York. It's one of the most provocative books about urban life ever writtenan evocation of the mythology of the quintessential modern metropolis, which has much to say not only about New York's past but about the present and future of all cities.
1112274025
―John Vernon, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Lucy Sante's Low Life is a portrait of America's greatest city, the riotous and anarchic breeding ground of modernity.
This is not the familiar saga of mansions, avenues, and robber barons, but the messy, turbulent, often murderous story of the city's slums; the teeming streetsscene of innumerable cons and crimes whose cramped and overcrowded housing is still a prominent feature of the cityscape.
Low Life voyages through Manhattan from four different directions. Part One examines the actual topography of Manhattan from 1840 to 1919; Part Two, the era's opportunities for vice and entertainmenttheaters and saloons, opium and cocaine dens, gambling and prostitution; Part Three investigates the forces of law and order which did and didn't work to contain the illegalities; Part Four counterposes the city's tides of revolt and idealism against the city as it actually was.
Low Life provides an arresting and entertaining view of what New York was actually like in its salad days. But it's more than simply a book about New York. It's one of the most provocative books about urban life ever writtenan evocation of the mythology of the quintessential modern metropolis, which has much to say not only about New York's past but about the present and future of all cities.
Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York
“A cacophonous poem of democracy and greed, like the streets of New York themselves.”
―John Vernon, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Lucy Sante's Low Life is a portrait of America's greatest city, the riotous and anarchic breeding ground of modernity.
This is not the familiar saga of mansions, avenues, and robber barons, but the messy, turbulent, often murderous story of the city's slums; the teeming streetsscene of innumerable cons and crimes whose cramped and overcrowded housing is still a prominent feature of the cityscape.
Low Life voyages through Manhattan from four different directions. Part One examines the actual topography of Manhattan from 1840 to 1919; Part Two, the era's opportunities for vice and entertainmenttheaters and saloons, opium and cocaine dens, gambling and prostitution; Part Three investigates the forces of law and order which did and didn't work to contain the illegalities; Part Four counterposes the city's tides of revolt and idealism against the city as it actually was.
Low Life provides an arresting and entertaining view of what New York was actually like in its salad days. But it's more than simply a book about New York. It's one of the most provocative books about urban life ever writtenan evocation of the mythology of the quintessential modern metropolis, which has much to say not only about New York's past but about the present and future of all cities.
―John Vernon, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Lucy Sante's Low Life is a portrait of America's greatest city, the riotous and anarchic breeding ground of modernity.
This is not the familiar saga of mansions, avenues, and robber barons, but the messy, turbulent, often murderous story of the city's slums; the teeming streetsscene of innumerable cons and crimes whose cramped and overcrowded housing is still a prominent feature of the cityscape.
Low Life voyages through Manhattan from four different directions. Part One examines the actual topography of Manhattan from 1840 to 1919; Part Two, the era's opportunities for vice and entertainmenttheaters and saloons, opium and cocaine dens, gambling and prostitution; Part Three investigates the forces of law and order which did and didn't work to contain the illegalities; Part Four counterposes the city's tides of revolt and idealism against the city as it actually was.
Low Life provides an arresting and entertaining view of what New York was actually like in its salad days. But it's more than simply a book about New York. It's one of the most provocative books about urban life ever writtenan evocation of the mythology of the quintessential modern metropolis, which has much to say not only about New York's past but about the present and future of all cities.
20.0
In Stock
5
1
Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York
496Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York
496Paperback(First Edition)
$20.00
20.0
In Stock
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780374528997 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date: | 11/24/2003 |
Edition description: | First Edition |
Pages: | 496 |
Sales rank: | 603,101 |
Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.35(d) |
About the Author
From the B&N Reads Blog