Guy Town by Gaslight: A History of Vice in Austin's First Ward

by Richard Zelade

Crime and vice plagued Austin after the Civil War, and Guy Town was a red-light hub with a most curious legacy. Today's pleasure-seeking visitors to the Warehouse District walk on top of Guy Town--the chic neighborhood of today is built on the most decadent and deadly area of the city's past. With the old county courthouse at its core, the district rose from the Colorado River up to Fifth Street and spanned from Congress Avenue to Shoal Creek, infesting Austin's eclectic First Ward neighborhood. Guy Town was a haven for notorious madams, prostitutes, druggies and drunkards lost to history, as well as names still remembered--Ben Thompson, O. Henry and Johnny Ringo roamed its streets looking for a good time. From murderers to con men, crooked cops and more, meet the cast of characters that gave Guy Town its reputation in author Richard Zelade's lurid account of the Capital City's historic underbelly.

Genres: History

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2014

Reviews

[Phil Schafer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting topic and I enjoyed reading this book. However, there is a lack of story telling here.

[aislyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting encapsulation of history however the author seemed a little too enthusiastic about denigrating women by referring them with every synonym of whore.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

A missing word on the opening page, p. 7, warns the reader that this is not a polished work. The author knows his subject, but introduces little by way of order to its presentation that might help the reader know that subject as well. He explains the name, “Guy Town,” as if beginning again, at least three times in as many chapters, as if several drafts of this book had been thrown together in a box.

The language, moreover, common to those who have spent too much time in contact with source material of a style more archaic than their own, lurches from a twentieth-century colloquial English, of dubious syntax and word choice, to a sort of community theater approximation of the prior century. The text is interlarded with examples drawn from the local papers and Texas magazines, only to continue in what appears to be the author’s own voice imitating their style. Synonyms for prostitute tumble out for no discernible reason than their own variety, the French in italics, the Spanish strangely unmolested.

The result is a not un-entertaining romp through Austin’s stews that at times seems to be as intoxicated as its subjects. If, like me, you grew up in and love this city, your efforts will not be wasted. But it is an effort to read this book.

[graham]

far too many excessively long newspaper excerpts for a nonfiction book that also has literally zero citations

[CathyD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clinical, but worth the read. Gives an excellent history of one section of Austin, Texas.

[Katina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into the book due to the writing style which jumped around time periods in each chapter (as opposed to being chronological).