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Five Points

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Author: Tyler Anbinder
Publisher: Plume
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$16.00~~
Buy Used: $4.30
You Save: $11.70 (73%)

New (33) Used (55) from $4.30

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.3

ISBN: 0452283612
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780452283619
ASIN: 0452283612

Publication Date: September 24, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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•	How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York
•	Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (The History of New York City)
•	All Around the Town: The Sequel to the Gangs of New York

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
All but forgotten today, the Five Points neighborhood in lower Manhattan was once renowned the world over. It housed America's most impoverished immigrants-the Irish, Jews, Germans, Italians, and African-Americans. Located in today's Chinatown and Little Italy, Five Points played host to more riots, scams, prostitution, and drunkenness than any other neighborhood in America. But it was also crammed full of cheap theaters, dance halls, prizefighting venues, and political arenas that would one day dominate the national scene. From Jacob Riis to Abraham Lincoln, Davy Crockett to Charles Dickens, Five Points horrified and enthralled everyone who saw it. brbr Drawing from letters, diaries, newspapers, bank records, police reports, and archeological digs, award-winning historian Tyler Anbinder has written the first history of this remarkable neighborhood. Beginning with the Irish potato famine influx in 1840 and ending with the rise of Chinatown in the early 20th century, the story of Five Points serves as a microcosm of the American immigrant experience.

Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Interesting October 11, 2008
My interest in reading this book was less about the political side and more about the social. That being said, the book is impeccably researched and brings a lot of humanity to this important part of NY's history.

4 out of 5 stars

According to Records June 13, 2008
I am amazed at the record keeping done at this time. In order to compile this look at the Five Points the author uses only actual records of the time. He also includes the 'Myths' of the time. Certain stories told and retold ended up with a life of their own. The author clearly states the known recorded facts and also lists any neighborhood, or for that matter, nation wide myths and embellishes to people or events that took place in the Five Points. It's an iteresting read and an honest insight on how and why some people living there had no problem doing so.

4 out of 5 stars

The truth behind New Yorks Five Points gangs March 1, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Forget about Ashbury's Gangs of New York. That muddle of yellow journalism and folklore that served as a basis for an even more muddled movie is far overshadowed by this well researched and documented look at the reality behind the infamous Five Points slum in old New York. Solid scholarship by Anbinder reveals the racial and ethnic bigotry behind much of the stories found in Ashbury's book- most surprisingly, that no such gang as the Dead Rabbits ever existed except in the minds and columns of New York newspapermen. Using census records Anbinder careful reveals the real lives of the working people of the Five Points through its times as an Irish, African, Chinese slum. This book is a vital resource for those who value New York 19th century history.

5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed this book on New York December 14, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I enjoyed this book about the early times of New York. Even though this book is specific to the FIVE POINTS area of New York, it also intertwines so much other history into the chapters. I bought this book along with other great books on the same subject (ie: GOTHAM, GANGS of NEW YORK, and LOW LIFE), and I enjoyed reading all the books together. br /br /If you love history and especially the history of New York , this is a wonderful book for a very nice price .br /

4 out of 5 stars

Irish In New York July 28, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Tyler Anbinder presents a history ostensibly focused narrowly on a lower Manhattan neighborhood. In actuality, Anbinder not only delivers the history of the Five Points area, but he also conveys a larger sense of the context and background that made this neighborhood significant. Anbinder organizes his material into very approachable chapters, each preceded by a brief illustrative anecdote or incident, which relates to the theme of the specific section.

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
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