Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld

by Herbert Asbury

Book Overview

This classic history of crime tells how Chicago's underworld earned -- and kept -- its reputation. Recounting the lives of such notorious denizens as the original Mickey Finn, the mass murderer H. H. Holmes, and the three Car Barn Bandits, Asbury reveals life as it was lived in the criminal districts of the Levee, Hell's Half-Acre, the Bad Lands, Little Cheyenne, Custom House Place, and the Black Hole. His description of Chicago's infamous red light district -- where the brothels boasted opulence unheard of before or since -- vividly captures the wicked splendor that was Chicago. The Gangs of Chicago spans from the time "Slab Town" was settled to Prohibition days. The story of Chicago's golden age of crime climaxes with a dramatic account of the careers of the "biggest of the Big Shots" Big Jim Colosimo, Terrible Johnny Torrio, and the elusive Al Capone. Photographs and illustrations round out this telling of Chicago's early underworld. "Still the most detailed, reliable, and readable account of the nether side of Chicago's first century, deserves reading and rereading . . . " -- Perry R. Duis, Chicago historian

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560254548
• ISBN13: 9781560254546
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

oldie but goodie

Though the publishers would have you believe otherwise, this is not a contempary sequal to the "Gangs of New York" movie. It was written over 50 years, with a different title. Regardless of the marketing, it is a great read. The detailed descriptions of street locations make it especially appealing. (Many of the key vice districts of Chicago's past are now occupied by housing projects or posh townhomes.) The book is very quick moving and entertaining.