The French Quarter: An informal history of the New Orleans underworld

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1936. Octavo (22.5 x 16 cm.), 484 pages. Illustrated. FIRST EDITION. A fascinating account of the evolution of the New Orleans' French Quarter underworld, with Prohibition tales and stories of gambling, prostitution, voodoo purveyors, and political corruption. One of a series of book-length explorations of the low life of various cities undertaken by the great Herbert Asbury, perhaps best known for his Gangs of New York, which served as the foundation for the film of the same name by Martin Scorcese. In 1928, well before repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, Asbury reintroduced America to Jerry Thomas' Bon Vivant's Companion, the classic "earliest" cocktail manual. His final book, The Great Illusion: An Informal History of Prohibition, was published in 1950. Internally clean and sound, in black linen-backed boards. The unclipped dust jacket is near fine, with just a bit of light wear to the edges and some age-toning.