List of Illustrations AcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I. Chinatown, Chatham Square, and the Bowery 1 A Round for the Old Atlantic (The Atlantic Garden) 2 Chinatown Theater (The 1893 Chinese Theater) Part II. Union Square and the East Village 3 A Roof with a View (American Mutoscope Studio) 4 Caretakers of Second Avenue (Hebrew Actors' Union) Part III. The Tenderloin 5 If You Can Make 'Em Cry (Tin Pan Alley) 6 Tenderloin Winners and Losers (Shang Draper's Gambling House)Part IV. Harlem 7 A Theater of Our Own (The Lincoln Theater) 8 Rise and Fall of the Original Swing Street (West 133rd Street) Part V. Times Square 9 The Strike Invisible (Horn & Hardart's Original New York Automat) 10 Last Dance at the Orpheum (The Orpheum Dance Palace) 11 Nights of Gladness (Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe) Epilogue A Note on Sources NotesBibliographyIndex About the Author
A lively look at the ghosts of old New York's nightlife
David Freeland is a writer who specializes in music history and popular culture. He is a contributing writer to the weekly New York Press, and his articles and criticism have also appeared in music magazines including American Songwriter, Relix, and Goldmine. He is the author of Ladies of Soul, a history of under-recognized female vocalists from the 1960s, and wrote the introduction, supplementary articles, and over 100 entries for Schirmer’s reference work Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians. He lives in New York City.
"Freeland combines the detective acumen of a modern Sherlock Holmes and the exploratory curiosity of Indiana Jones as he uncovers forgotten but still visible treasures of Gotham's offbeat and seamier underside. This physical genealogy of Manhattan's historic nightlife will become an invaluable companion for anyone exploring New York's neighborhoods." Timothy J. Gilfoyle, author of City of Eros "The richness of the New York stories he presents, in elegant prose, is more abundant than the actual brick and mortar that remain. His is a guidebook to the city's history, to what it has bequeathed us, even as much may be lost." --Margaret Heilbrun, Library Journal 15th July 2009 "David Freeland's affectionate, detail-packed tome about Manhattan's forgotten pleasure centers--from dance halls to gambling dens--adds a lyrical song to the cacophony...Since all the stories are linked to (mostly) still-standing but nonlandmark structures, the book also serves as a sort of preservationist's call to arms, as well as a reminder to those who seek out the city's grittier past: Take in these already severely altered sights while you still can." Time Out New York, Issue 723 : Aug 6-12, 2009 "With an archaeologist's eye and a storyteller's wit he roams from Chinatown to Harlem--concentrating on scenes of the city's nightlife a century ago during the vaudeville era but also reaching back into the 19th century as he summons up forgotten neighborhoods and personalities who gave old New York its raffish vigor...[a] delightful volume.." Stefan Kanfer, Wall Street Journal, 8th August 2009 "Reading this book is like going on a walking tour with a really knowledgeable guide, who knows not only what building to point out but also what stories lurk behind the front door." Clyde Haberman, The New Leader, Summer 2009
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