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Out of Mulberry Street Stories of Tenement life in New York City
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1897
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About the author
Jacob A. Riis
191 books39 followersReports, including
How the Other Half Lives
(1890), of Danish-born American journalist and reformer Jacob August Riis on living conditions in city slums led to improvements in housing and education.
This Christian helped the impoverished in city of New York; much of his writing focused on those needy. In his youth in Denmark, he read Charles Dickens and James Fennimore Cooper; his works exhibit the story-telling skills, acquired under the tutelage of many English-speaking writers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis
This Christian helped the impoverished in city of New York; much of his writing focused on those needy. In his youth in Denmark, he read Charles Dickens and James Fennimore Cooper; his works exhibit the story-telling skills, acquired under the tutelage of many English-speaking writers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 13, 2012
Little chunks of life from the Bowery, which I read overnight in a (former) dosshouse on the Bowery and between walks on Mulberry Street, Mott Street, Elizabeth Street. These slight but pathetic stories - or rather reports - are from the 1880s when it was teeming with starving emigrants and burning in endless accidental fires. Based on the observations of Riis from his time as a newspaper man, they're certainly sentimental (especially the Christmas ones) but not much worse for that: Riis is compassionate and his accounts of fires especially are vivid and real.
September 23, 2015
I love reading Jacob Riis’ books. This one takes me back to 1896 or 1897 – this is a collection of stories of life in the lower NYC tenements, mostly the Five Points and Lower East Side neighborhoods. I grew up in NYC and have always obsessed over its history. The most fascinating aspect of these stories, to me, are the streets/alleys/neighborhoods that no longer exist. There are references to Dynamite Alley, Bottle Alley, Mulberry Bend, the original Five Points neighborhood, Bandit’s Roost, etc. There are specific people named in the book: tenement families, police on patrol, fire department chiefs, criminals and gang leaders.
Since these accounts were written at the end of the 19th century, some of the vernacular is a little bit confusing. Riis writes very coherently but patience is sometimes needed to figure out some of the jargon used from the era. Usually I can figure it out based on context.
Anyone interested in the specific history of the area will enjoy this book. Riis also was an excellent photographer and police reporter, and some of his photos are included in the text, although many can be found just by doing an online search. The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) and the New York Public Library (NYPL) tend to have the most extensive old photograph collections of NYC, so be sure to check for images to supplement the stories! Some of the images he captured and the stories he tells are very intense. It definitely makes me appreciate all the modern conveniences we have nowadays.
Since these accounts were written at the end of the 19th century, some of the vernacular is a little bit confusing. Riis writes very coherently but patience is sometimes needed to figure out some of the jargon used from the era. Usually I can figure it out based on context.
Anyone interested in the specific history of the area will enjoy this book. Riis also was an excellent photographer and police reporter, and some of his photos are included in the text, although many can be found just by doing an online search. The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) and the New York Public Library (NYPL) tend to have the most extensive old photograph collections of NYC, so be sure to check for images to supplement the stories! Some of the images he captured and the stories he tells are very intense. It definitely makes me appreciate all the modern conveniences we have nowadays.
November 13, 2018
Eye opening. Poverty knows no era
November 8, 2016
Soms harde, dan weer hartverwarmende "vertelseltjes" over het leven rond de Bowery, Mulberry Street en andere 'tenement'-buurten in Manhattan rond 1896. Riis beschrijft zijn bewondering voor en compassie met de bewoners van de overvolle woonkazernes nuchter (zoals het een goed verslaggever betaamt), grappend (het verhaal over Hell's Kitchen dat door geiten wordt geterroriseerd, is hilarisch) en vooral heel meeslepend. Daarbij wordt hij af en toe wat sentimenteel (zoals in het verhaal van de 'little Christmas Dollar' - hoe mooi was dat! - en zijn relaas over de heldendaden van de New Yorkse brandweer in het laatste hoofdstuk), maar dat maakt zijn mozaïek van Manhattan enkel maar levendiger.
Ik kijk uit naar een bezoek aan het Lower Tenement Museum in NYC om een stukje van zijn 'petite histoire(s)' mee te beleven.
Ik kijk uit naar een bezoek aan het Lower Tenement Museum in NYC om een stukje van zijn 'petite histoire(s)' mee te beleven.
February 25, 2016
I loved reading these old articles. Riis wrote a very nice article about the NYFD which appears at the end. The NYFD has such an honorable past and Riis recorded some great historical events for us. Great read for those interested in NYC history.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews