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Book Description
A vivid account of the wicked splendour that was Chicago from the top-selling author of The Gangs of New York
Product Description
This classic history of crime tells how the Chicago underworld earned - and kept - its notorious reputation, from the time it was settled to the Prohibition days of the 1920s. Recounting the lives of such infamous early inhabitants as the original Mickey Finn and the mass murderer H. H. Holmes, it climaxes with the city's golden age of crime and a dramatic account of the careers of the biggest of the Big Shots - Big Jim Colosimo, Terrible Johnny Torrio, and the elusive Al Capone, revealing life as it was lived in the criminal districts and the infamous red light district where the brothels boasted opulence unheard of before or since. Rounded off with fascinating photographs and illustrations, this is one of the most detailed, reliable and readable accounts of the nether side of Chicago's first century. (20030513)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
64 years on from its appearance as 'Gem on the Prairie' Herbert Asbury's history of Chicago gangs has lost none of its relevence.
So much mythology surrounds men like Capone and Walter Mitty that it's surprising that no contemporary account seperates myth from reality. The prose is crisp, insightful, intelligent; the story beautifully told; and, above all else, absolutely fascinating.
One of the best gangster books I've ever read.
Format:Paperback
An excellent history of crime in Chicago. It's evocative of the period and of the characters found within it. Well worth reading.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A mildly amusing history of the development of the 'under-belly' of Chicago..but it does tend to drag on a bit...ok if someone is particularly interested in reading about the rise of the nefarious elements of Chicago from a purely historical perspective, but not for someone who is expecting it to read more like a novel/tale. Tends to be a bit confusing and repetitive in its description of the characters (all real) and general criminal activities that gradually took shape in the city over time. The information, in my point of view, could have been presented better.
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