Scenes from the Life of a City: Corruption and Conscience in Old New York [Paperback]

Dr. Eric Homberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2009

This vividly written book depicts life in mid-19th century New York-a city glittering and glamorous yet also plagued with political corruption, sanitation problems, and a growing gulf between rich and poor. Eric Homberger tells his story through intriguing portraits of representative New Yorkers-from an abortionist named ""Madame Restell"" to Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect of Central Park-who placed important roles in various reform movements of the period.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This study of life in mid-19th-century New York City examines how a sense of community was increasingly weakened by issues such as poverty and political corruption.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Homberger's theme, the struggle of mid-19th-century reformers to awaken a sense of community in laissez-faire New York, unfolds in four absorbing but largely independent essays. He focuses on Steven Smith, whose probe of typhoid clusters in the slums led to the creation of the Sanitary Board in 1866; Madame Restell, the abortionist who rose from poverty to residence at a Fifth Avenue mansion before the persecutions of Anthony Comstock drove her to suicide; "Slippery Dick" Connolly, the only member of the Tweed Ring to escape with his fortune; and Frederick Law Olmsted, whose design of Central Park represented the era's great attempt to reconcile the city's warring social classes. Homberger (American literature, Univ. of East Anglia) has a keen sense of historical irony, a remarkable command of 19th-century memoirs and journals, and a rare talent for drawing vivid characters acting on complex motives. One wishes he had constructed a more coherent frame around his individual "scenes" or drawn more connections between them, but this book is highly recommended for any collection with an interest in urban and social history.
Gregory Gilmartin, New York City
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300068824
• ISBN-13: 978-0300068825
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,503,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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