Synopses & Reviews
Review
"A wonderful book. The research is overwhelming in breadth, precision, and imagination. beautifully portrays an aspect of social and urban, as well as economic history, which we can no longer ignore." Mary P. Ryan, University of California, Berkeley
Review
"Gilfoyle has tied together into one package the interrelationship between the role and status of women, American ideas about sex, the effects of urbanization and immigration, real estate speculation, vigilantism, and politics. . . . In short, he has effectively brought issues of sexuality into social history. . . . Deserving of the highest praise." Vern L. Bullough
Review
"A fascinating study. . . . Gilfoyle does not simply catalogue the omnipresence of the postitutes. He situates their trade in the economic life of the city. . . . is social history at its best, beautifully written, with a mosaic of rich detail that informs but does not overwhelm the narrative line." Historian
Review
"Remarkable. . . . [A] clear and fascinating narrative . . . [that] opens up plenty of new lines of inquiry. . . . A major contribution to the history of gender, popular culture, and the life of New York City." David Nasaw New York Times Book Review
Review
"The first careful analysis of the politics, geography, and business of prostitution in the nation's metropolis. With grace and style, Timothy Gilfoyle has moved the subject from the shadows to the light." Elliott J. Gorn Journal of American History
Synopsis
In the 19th century, New York saw the development of a sex industry at the heart of a consumer world of entertainment, goods, newspapers and advertising. In this book, Gilfoyle blends first-hand experience with demographic research to present a study of the politics and economics of sex.
Synopsis
Winner of the Allan Nevins Prize of the Society of American Historians and the New York State Historical Association Manuscript Prize.
About the Author
Timothy J. Gilfoyle is an acclaimed historian. His first book, City of Eros, won the prestigious Nevins Prize, awarded by the Society of American Historians. He is professor of history at Loyola University in Chicago.