Low Life

Lures and Snares of Old New York

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Low Life by Luc Sante, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Luc Sante ISBN: 9781466895638
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: March 8, 2016
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Luc Sante
ISBN: 9781466895638
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: March 8, 2016
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

Luc 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 streets--scene 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 entertainment--theaters 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 simpy a book about New York. It's one of the most provocative books about urban life ever written--an 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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Luc 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 streets--scene 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 entertainment--theaters 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 simpy a book about New York. It's one of the most provocative books about urban life ever written--an 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.

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book Upstate by Luc Sante
Cover of the book Seventeen by Luc Sante
Cover of the book What Are We Doing Here? by Luc Sante
Cover of the book When My Sister Started Kissing by Luc Sante
Cover of the book After the Victorians by Luc Sante
Cover of the book The Eagle's Shadow by Luc Sante
Cover of the book Full Service by Luc Sante
Cover of the book People In Trouble by Luc Sante
Cover of the book World as Laboratory by Luc Sante
Cover of the book Deep Water by Luc Sante
Cover of the book Gun Island by Luc Sante
Cover of the book Jump and Other Stories by Luc Sante
Cover of the book From Norvelt to Nowhere by Luc Sante
Cover of the book Race, Religion, and the Continuing American Dilemma by Luc Sante
Cover of the book Later the Same Day by Luc Sante
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy