THE FRENCH QUARTER

by Herbert Asbury ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 5, 1936

Sub-titled ""An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld"" -- but that is too limiting when compared to the actual scope of the book. It gives about one third of the space to the historical background, the colorful, dramatic, shifting history of New Orleans under French, Spanish and American jurisdiction. The social strata. The influence of the encroaching pirates, the filibusters, the riffraff dumped on the city in the process of colonization. Then comes chapter after chapter of revelation of a city of vice and political corruption and legitimatized ""sin"". One must think that Asbury's mind is a sink of filthy information, but he manages to turn out grand jobs, with singularly little that is offensive except in interpretation.

Pub Date: Oct. 5, 1936

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1936

Categories: NONFICTION