Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Sin in the Second City madams, ministers, playboys, and the battle for America's soul Hardback - 2007
by Karen Abbott
Summary
Step into the perfumed parlors of the Everleigh Club, the most famous brothel in American history--and the catalyst for a culture war that rocked the nation. Operating in Chicago's notorious Levee district at the dawn of the last century, the Club's proprietors, two aristocratic sisters named Minna and Ada Everleigh, welcomed moguls and actors, senators and athletes, foreign dignitaries and literary icons, into their stately double mansion, where thirty stunning Everleigh "butterflies" awaited their arrival. Courtesans named Doll, Suzy Poon Tang, and Brick Top devoured raw meat to the delight of Prince Henry of Prussia and recited poetry for Theodore Dreiser. Whereas lesser madams pocketed most of a harlot's earnings and kept a "whipper" on staff to mete out discipline, the Everleighs made sure their girls dined on gourmet food, were examined by an honest physician, and even tutored in the literature of Balzac.Not everyone appreciated the sisters' attempts to elevate the industry. Rival Levee madams hatched numerous schemes to ruin the Everleighs, including an attempt to frame them for the death of department store heir Marshall Field, Jr. But the sisters' most daunting foes were the Progressive Era reformers, who sent the entire country into a frenzy with lurid tales of "white slavery"--the allegedly rampant practice of kidnapping young girls and forcing them into brothels. This furor shaped America's sexual culture and had repercussions all the way to the White House, including the formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.With a cast of characters that includes Jack Johnson, John Barrymore, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., William Howard Taft, "Hinky Dink" Kenna, and Al Capone, Sin in the Second City is Karen Abbott's colorful, nuanced portrait of the iconic Everleigh sisters, their world-famous Club, and the perennial clash between our nation's hedonistic impulses and Puritanical roots. Culminating in a dramatic last stand between brothel keepers and crusading reformers, Sin in the Second City offers a vivid snapshot of America's journey from Victorian-era propriety to twentieth-century modernity.Visit www.sininthesecondcity.com to learn more!Praise for Sin in the Second City:"Assiduously researched... [Sin in the Second City] describes a popular culture awash in wild tales of sexual abuse, crusading reformers claiming God on their side, and deep suspicion of the threat posed by "foreigners" to the nation's Christian values." --Janet Maslin, The New York Times "Lavish in her details, nicely detached in her point of view, [and with] scrupulous concern for historical accuracy, Ms. Abbott has written an immensely readable book. Sin in the Second City offers much in the way of reflection for those interested in the unending puzzle that goes by the name of human nature." -- The Wall Street Journal "Abbott's first book is meticulously researched and entertaining... a colorful history of old Chicago that reads like a novel." --The Atlanta Journal Constitution"With gleaming prose and authoritative knowledge Abbott elucidates one of the most colorful periods in American history, and the result reads like the very best fiction. Sex, opulence, murder -- What's not to love?" -- Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants"A detailed and intimate portrait of the Ritz of brothels, the famed Everleigh Club of turn-of-the-century Chicago. Sisters Minna and Ada attracted the elites of the world to such glamorous chambers as the Room of 1,000 Mirrors, complete with a reflective floor....
Details
- Title Sin in the Second City madams, ministers, playboys, and the battle for America's soul
- Author Karen Abbott
- Binding Hardback
- Edition First Edition
- Pages 384
- Language EN
- Publisher Random House, New York
- Date 2007
- ISBN 9781400065301
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2006051878
Media reviews
More Copies for Sale
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul Abbott, Karen
by Abbott, Karen
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Champaign, Illinois, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$5.80NZ$6.83 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House, 2007-07-10. Hardcover. Good. Mild to moderate shelf/reading wear. Binding good. Orphans Treasure Box sells books to raise money for orphans and vulnerable kids.
Item Price
NZ$5.80
NZ$6.83
shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Sin in the Second City : Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Abbott, Karen
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$8.56FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$8.56
FREE shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Sin in the Second City : Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Abbott, Karen
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$8.56FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$8.56
FREE shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Abbott, Karen
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Houston, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$8.97FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House, 2007-07-10. Hardcover. Good. 6x1x9.
Item Price
NZ$8.97
FREE shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Abbott, Karen
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Kingwood, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$8.97FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House, 2007-07-10. hardcover. Good. 6x1x9.
Item Price
NZ$8.97
FREE shipping to USA
Sin in the Second City : Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Karen Abbott
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.03FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House Publishing Group, 2007. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.03
FREE shipping to USA
Sin in the Second City : Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Karen Abbott
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.03FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House Publishing Group, 2007. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.03
FREE shipping to USA
Sin in the Second City : Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Karen Abbott
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 4
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.03FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House Publishing Group, 2007. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.03
FREE shipping to USA
Sin in the Second City : Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Karen Abbott
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.03FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
Random House Publishing Group, 2007. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.03
FREE shipping to USA
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul
by Abbott, Karen
- Used
- Condition
- UsedGood
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781400065301 / 1400065305
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.04FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
UsedGood. Former library book with the usual stamps, stickers and labels. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
NZ$11.04
FREE shipping to USA