The Bowery, Stephen Paul DeVillo
The Bowery, Stephen Paul DeVillo
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Bowery
The Strange History of New York's Oldest Street

Author: Stephen Paul DeVillo

Narrator: Daniel Henning

Unabridged: 10 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/29/2021


Synopsis

It was the street your mother warned you about—even if you lived in San Francisco. Long associated with skid row, saloons, freak shows, violence, and vice, the Bowery often showed the worst New York City had to offer. Yet there were times when it showed its best as well.

The Bowery is New York's oldest street and Manhattan's broadest boulevard. Like the city itself, it has continually reinvented itself over the centuries. Named for the Dutch farms, or bouweries, of the area, the path's lurid character was established early when it became the site of New Amsterdam's first murder. A natural spring near the Five Points neighborhood led to breweries and taverns that became home to the gangs of New York—the "Bowery B'hoys," "Plug Uglies," and "Dead Rabbits." In the Gaslight Era, teenaged streetwalkers swallowed poison in McGurk's Suicide Hall.

A brighter side to the street was reflected in places of amusement and culture over the years. A young P. T. Barnum got his start there, and Harry Houdini learned showmanship playing the music halls and dime museums. Poets, singers, hobos, gangsters, soldiers, travelers, preachers, storytellers, con-men, and reformers all gathered there. Its colorful cast of characters includes Peter Stuyvesant, Steve Brodie, Carry Nation, Stephen Foster, Stephen Crane, and even Abraham Lincoln.

About Stephen Paul DeVillo

Stephen Paul DeVillo has spent a lifetime exploring the history and lore of his native New York City. An experienced historical tour guide, he is the author of The Bronx River in History and Folklore. DeVillo lives in the Bronx, New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Armand on January 15, 2021

I loved it. As a teenager and then in my twenties, heading from the safe suburbia of New Jersey to the Bowery to see a band play and get way too close to danger, this brought back memories. It also showed me a history that went back further than young (and stupid) me could ever imagine. A great, non......more

Goodreads review by Rama on April 20, 2021

Bowery: The 19th Century New York City Neighborhood This book is an exploration of Manhattan's historic neighborhoods in the southern part of the district that had secret spots and colorful characters. This includes the Five Points location; It was the scene of riots, scams, saloons, brothels, and dr......more

Goodreads review by William on July 12, 2018

An entertaining bio of sorts about the Bowery that is engaging, illuminating and thought provoking. With its cast of colorful characters from its long history.......more

Goodreads review by Marie on March 02, 2018

Loved this! It’s full of quirky histories of the Bowery, including the Dutch settlers, gangs, crime bosses, tattoo and circus artists, freaks, drunks, junkies, artists, musicians and all the other lively and colorful characters who have populated the Bowery over the years. I did not find this text b......more

Goodreads review by Kate on January 21, 2018

This was really a delight, a history of NYC from the perspective of one of its more notable streets. I really enjoyed all the little anecdotes about the people who lived in the neighborhood and the little businesses up and down the street.......more