"And Hell, yawning to receive the putrid mass, is there also".

Such is the description of San Francisco's Barbary Coast cited from another publication by author Herbert Asbury.

THE BARBARY COAST, first published in 1933, is a history of that vicious and squalid section in the heart of the City by the Bay devoted to all forms of crime, vice, lewd conduct and wickedness for the period 1849 to 1917. Asbury's fascinating narrative includes the dance halls, music saloons, dives, brothels, and gambling dens that infested the area, as well as the criminal gangs, hoodlums and cutthroats that preyed on the men lured there. The book's scope also encompasses the rising population of Chinese residents that coalesced into Chinatown, as well as the yellow slavery, tong wars and virulent anti-Chinese sentiments that evolved concurrently. And, since San Francisco is one of the world's greatest natural ports, the author describes the perils to both arriving and departing sailors, who were drawn to the Barbary Coast as insects to Venus Flytraps.

The twin pillars of the Barbary Coast were robbery and prostitution. Despite the early successes of vigilantism in ridding the burgeoning metropolis of undesirables, the fact that both thrived for so long can be attributed to the toleration and blatant corruption of the city's law enforcement officials and governing politicos. Of the two, prostitution was the foundation of the area's iniquity since, as the author is careful to point out, the Barbary Coast didn't finally die until the California Legislature passed the Red-light Abatement Act of 1914. Therefore, it's no surprise that much of the volume is dedicated to the Oldest Profession: the cribs, cow-yards, parlor houses, pimps, madames, and debasing working conditions.

THE BARBARY COAST comes near to being a book in the "couldn't put down" category. However, it sorely lacks the illustrations and period photographs that enhanced the Asbury's "prequel" volume, THE GANGS OF NEW YORK. Nevertheless, once read, you'll not see the modern streets of San Francisco in the same way again.

San Francisco is an amazing city. Each time I visit I discover something new along its narrow alleys, panoramic vistas and historical landmarks. North Beach has always been my favorite SF neighborhood. It is amazing to me that such wickedness prevailed on these streets in the not so distant past. When I picked up the Barbary Coast, I was surprised that it was an older novel (first published in the 1930's). Don't let that persuade you from reading it. Asbury's frank and colorful descriptions of the old Barbary Coast will capture your imagination from the first page. Starting with the gold rush, Asbury describes the incredible influx of people onto the peninsula within a few short years and the lawlessness it creates. The stories of the prostitutes, gamblers, thieves, gangs, saloon keepers, brawlers, and corrupt politicians are all richly told in Asbury's colorful language that keeps the reader's attention all the way through. This book is a must for anyone interested in the history of the gold rush and San Francisco's past.

I'd seen this book on the shelves at the library, but I had always passed over it because it was too non-linear for my research. Boy, was that a mistake. This is THE best book about San Francisco's Barbary Coast in existance. It came to my attention again because of 'Gangs of New York', and I went ahead and bought it this time. Read this book and find out how tame everyone from San Francisco is these days in comparison.

The Gangs of New York is a fascinating chunk of controversial history (some question its accuracy), an interesting period piece written nearly 90 years ago-- but fans of the highly-touted film should BEWARE if they're expecting for something closely related to the Martin Scorese flick.

Even so, no matter what anyone (including yours truly) says...and awful lot of people of all ages READ this book -- and love it. I was recently on a flight and sat next to a guy in his early 20s who sat there fascinated, reading it during the entire 3 hour flight.

Gangs of New York is NOT your typical book on which a movie is based. If it's bought by someone who loves the film somebody is going to be in for a monster surprise (or disappointment). Don't expect a plot, don't expect compelling writing, don't expect a large section on which the book is based and to easily find those sections. But do expect to be fascinated.

WHAT THIS IS: This is a book about: early brutal gang warfare, during a time in the 19th century where gangs literally swarmed all over New York City; blow-by-blow bloody battles and legendary gang fighters in a city virtually in the grip of gangs -- leading to the creation of the NY City Police department; and the politically dominating Tammany Hall machine's birth and growth in the 19th and 20th centuries, set within the context of a politically corrupt, violence-prone city.

Most interestingly, it's about a time in NYC's history that you seldom see portrayed in films or in books. I found the accounts of the 1863 Civil War draft riots absolutely gripping. But mostly it's about the gangs with names such as Dead Rabbits, Plug Uglies etc (the film used these names too). Many illustrations are old-style drawings rather than photos.

WHAT IT DOES: Gangs of New York gives you a good history seemingly based on interviews and mountains of old newspaper clippings, most of it in anecdotal versus dry statistical form.

WHAT IT IS NOT: It is not a book written in a modern prose style, but it isn't boring. It doesn't have a "plot" with a beginning, middle and end. No, it doesn't have a hero, or anyone resembling Leonardo, a love subplot, etc.

But if you're interested in the acclaimed movie's source material and learning about a fascinating and often forgotten period in NY City's municipal history you'll love it. Even though it was out of print for many years The Gangs of New York has been a legend itself for many years -- and it easy to see why.

Recently re-published to coincide with the upcoming film release of Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, this is a long out-of-print look at a depraved and sinister metropolis at the turn of the last century. Tracing a history of crime, corruption and vice from the latter half of the nineteenth century through the rise of Tammany Hall in the early 20th Century, Gangs of New York is a singularly entertaining and disturbing look at the bloodstains lurking under the sepia tint of a romanticized past. Perhaps even more fascinating than the insights into the rampant crime underworld is Asbury's near-parallel narrative of the formation of the modern New York City police force, focusing on the police riots during the merger of the Metropolitan Municipal and Metropolitan police departments into what we now know as the NYPD. It's a tale filled with graft and corruption rivaling that of the numerous and bloody gangs that populate the book. An essential book for fans of historical crime works such as Luc Sante's Low Life, as well as anyone truly interested in the real history of New York.

Among the many special things that make this book a real treasure is that it was written in the mid 1920's. Without knowing what the future would bring Asbury concludes that the age of the gangs is over. And, in a way he is correct. Of course he could not foresee the development of gangs in the second half of the twentieth century, but he does successfully describe the changes in demographics and size that took place during the nineteenth. The later truly amazed me in that during the period of about 1840 to 1870 the shear size of the gangs that terrorized Manhattan, and its environs, were enormous. Gangs numbering in the thousands in an area of less than half of Manhattan is quiet frightening. Their relationship to political machines such as Tammany Hall and the Know Nothings insulated them from the long arm of justice.
Asbury also does a wonderful job of describing the rocky evolution of the New York City Police Department. Good or bad the heroics and sacrifice of the New York City Police during the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots should never be forgotten.
I highly recommend this book. If you have experienced New York then you owe it to yourself to compare then and now.

This book was written more in the form of a textbook than a novel. It contains factual information but is neither suspenseful nor very interesting. It may have been good for its time but is now dull

Herbert Asbury, by default, was the most important crime historian of the first half of the twentieth century. He produced a series of books published before 1950 surveying the red light districts, criminal haunts, and notorious incidents occurring in Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans and elsewhere. In those days, before the public fascination with true-crime resulted in a flood of new books rushed into print, Asbury had the field pretty much to himself. Gem of the Prairie remained out of print for many years, but it inspired generations of Chicago writers to produce more of the same; Herman Kogan, Finis Farr, Lloyd Wendt, Bill Helmer, Henry Justin Smith, Emmett Dedmon, Curt Johnson, (and myself, I must confess), to name but a few. Asbury blazed new trails for all of us, but his research is largely based on newspaper accounts and poorly documented second-hand sources. Many of the anecdotes, though engrossing, cannot be verified upon further research. Mr. Asbury colors the text with florid prose,unintentional wit, and a withering cynicism common to the Chicago school of writing, but he fails to provide the reader with synthesis of his subject matter. Stories are evenly told, but we are left to ponder the obvious question. Did the same economic and social forces that fueled Chicago's phenomonal growth in the late 19th Century also contribute to the reputation the Windy City is still enjoys as a wide-open, corrupt town where anything goes? The answers are to be found elsewhere.

Excellent book describing the Chicago underworld from post civil-war to the 1920's. I have an original copy from my great aunt who was a flapper in the 1920's. Born and bred in Chicago--I loved this book.

Herbert Asbury must have been the daring writer of his day, daring to approach topics such as the red light district of New Orleans and the flesh trade in books that have retained a cult following to this day. In somewhat florrid prose, he manages to present a fairly accurate history of the French Quarter, its denizens, and chatacters, includong voodoo queens and madams and the social climates that shaped it. It portrays the politics and characters, the scoundrals and the thiefs. The book is as much a part of the era in which it was written, although New Orleans is a bit removed from the social climes of the rest of the country. It is a facinating portrait of a n era and a place that is a delight to visit for a time.