Pickpocket's Tale: The Underworld of Nineteenth-Century New York, (Paperback)

from jztemple

It's an excellent book, highly recommended for not only the biographical aspects, but also for it's extensive look into urban crime, justice and incarceration during the second half of the 19th century. It's not a lighthearted crime story but a serious yet still very readable scholarly work. Exte...

from ElizabethChapman

Gilfoyle is an accomplished historian and author who wrote the often-cited "City of Eros: New York City, Prostitution, and the Commercialization of Sex, 1790-1920." In "A Pickpocket's Tale" he examines the world of petty -- and not so petty -- crime in 19th century New York. The centerpiece of th...

from RebeccaReader

A fascinating look at the life of the demimonde in mid- to late-19th century New York. Gilfoyle follows the life of pickpocket George Appo-a scrappy orphan of Chinese and Irish descent-to provide an engaging social history about the urban poor.

from ElizabethChapman

Gilfoyle is an accomplished historian and author who wrote the often-cited "City of Eros: New York City, Prostitution, and the Commercialization of Sex, 1790-1920." In "A Pickpocket's Tale" he examines the world of petty -- and not so petty -- crime in 19th century New York. The centerpiece of th...

from jztemple

It's an excellent book, highly recommended for not only the biographical aspects, but also for it's extensive look into urban crime, justice and incarceration during the second half of the 19th century. It's not a lighthearted crime story but a serious yet still very readable scholarly work. Exte...