Author:Herbert Asbury
Home to the notorious 'Blue Book', which listed the names and addresses of every prostitute living in the city, New Orleans's infamous red-light district gained a reputation as one of the most raucous in the world. But the New Orleans underworld consisted of much more than the local bordellos. It was also well known as the early gambling capital of the United States, and sported one of the most violent records of street crime in the country. In The Gangs of New Orleans, Herbert Asbury, author of The Gangs of New York, chronicles the immense underbelly of 'The Big Easy'. From the murderous exploits of Mary Jane 'Bricktop' Jackson and Bridget Fury, two prostitutes who became famous after murdering a number of their associates, to the faux-revolutionary 'filibusters' who, backed by hundreds of thousands of dollars of public support - though without official governmental approval - undertook military missions to take over the bordering Spanish regions in Texas, the French Quarter had it all. Once again, Asbury takes the reader on an intriguing journey through a unique history of the American underworld.
Her intention is that fact and fiction should complement each other. They do perfectly
—— Frances Spalding , Sunday TimesWith clarity of purpose and clarity of style, she has written a book that is both elegant and thoughtful
—— Michael Prodger , Sunday TelegraphGillian Tindall is a tapestry maker. She finds patterns in history - woven from close research into people and places - that no one else would have the persistence and insight to pursue
—— IndependentA testament to the late Booth that he could make such a boring subject so interesting.
—— Sunday TimesA colourful tale ... Chronicles the remarkable and often mystifying process through which cannabis became outlawed throughout the Western world, and the devastating effect such legislation has had on the global economy.
—— Sunday TelegraphAfter two puffs on a marijuana cigarette, I was turned into a bat.
—— Dr James Munch, pharmacologist'Amazingly informative...fascinating stuff'
—— Financial Times