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The Bowery: The Strange History of New York's Oldest Street
From peglegged Peter Stuyvesant to CBGB’s, the story of the Bowery reflects the history of the city that grew up around it.
It was the street your mother warned you about—even if you lived in San Francisco. Long associated with skid row, saloons, freak shows, violence, and vice, the Bowery often showed the worst New York City had to offer. Yet there were times when it showed its best as well.
The Bowery is New York’s oldest street and Manhattan’s broadest boulevard. Like the city itself, it has continually reinvented itself over the centuries. Named for the Dutch farms, or bouweries, of the area, the path’s lurid character was established early when it became the site of New Amsterdam’s first murder. A natural spring near the Five Points neighborhood led to breweries and taverns that became home to the gangs of New York—the “Bowery B’hoys,” “Plug Uglies,” and “Dead Rabbits.” In the Gaslight Era, teenaged streetwalkers swallowed poison in McGurk’s Suicide Hall.
A brighter side to the street was reflected in places of amusement and culture over the years. A young P.T. Barnum got his start there, and Harry Houdini learned showmanship playing the music halls and dime museums. Poets, singers, hobos, gangsters, soldiers, travelers, preachers, storytellers, con-men, and reformers all gathered there. Its colorful cast of characters includes Peter Stuyvesant, Steve Brodie, Carry Nation, Stephen Foster, Stephen Crane, and even Abraham Lincoln.
Now in paperback, The Bowery: The Strange History of New York’s Oldest Street traces the full story of this once notorious thoroughfare from its pre-colonial origins to the present day.
It was the street your mother warned you about—even if you lived in San Francisco. Long associated with skid row, saloons, freak shows, violence, and vice, the Bowery often showed the worst New York City had to offer. Yet there were times when it showed its best as well.
The Bowery is New York’s oldest street and Manhattan’s broadest boulevard. Like the city itself, it has continually reinvented itself over the centuries. Named for the Dutch farms, or bouweries, of the area, the path’s lurid character was established early when it became the site of New Amsterdam’s first murder. A natural spring near the Five Points neighborhood led to breweries and taverns that became home to the gangs of New York—the “Bowery B’hoys,” “Plug Uglies,” and “Dead Rabbits.” In the Gaslight Era, teenaged streetwalkers swallowed poison in McGurk’s Suicide Hall.
A brighter side to the street was reflected in places of amusement and culture over the years. A young P.T. Barnum got his start there, and Harry Houdini learned showmanship playing the music halls and dime museums. Poets, singers, hobos, gangsters, soldiers, travelers, preachers, storytellers, con-men, and reformers all gathered there. Its colorful cast of characters includes Peter Stuyvesant, Steve Brodie, Carry Nation, Stephen Foster, Stephen Crane, and even Abraham Lincoln.
Now in paperback, The Bowery: The Strange History of New York’s Oldest Street traces the full story of this once notorious thoroughfare from its pre-colonial origins to the present day.
258 pages, Paperback
Published November 12, 2019
434 people are currently reading
683 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
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November 16, 2017Have decided to drop this and leave it unrated. I am a narrative fiction type of girl, and am finding this rather dry. One has to have a deep love of Manhattan and New York's history to really appreciate this book. It is well researched but I just don't have the inclination to continue.
November 1, 2025
The history of the Bowery even before it was called the Bowery. So, for me the first several chapters were dry and about as boring as you can get. I was on the verge of doing a DNF for a while. Apparently, this book was not what I expected, and I skimmed my way through much of it. It never really got interesting for me because I think I’ve read most of the stories elsewhere previously.
May 20, 2021
Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded up because reasons
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: I've lived in or near New York City for twenty-five of my sixty-*cough* years. I'm not surprised that I'm still learning stuff about my home town. And considering the astounding difference between the 1980s New York I moved to and the gentrified, sanitized Newyorkland it's become, I have no trouble relating to Author DeVillo's interesting browsing-book's premise of the many streets that Manhattan has called "The Bowery" over the centuries.
Exhaustively researched...the Bibliography and Endnotes will swell your TBRs, fellow New Yorkophiles!...and anecdotally presented, this is a perfect holiday-weekend-travel book. I call them "browsing books" because you can set it down at any point, pick it back up and take right up from where you left off. More than trivia lists, less than in-depth formal Histories, this is exactly what a beach bag or backpack needs loaded on your Kindle to stave off wait-time boredom.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: I've lived in or near New York City for twenty-five of my sixty-*cough* years. I'm not surprised that I'm still learning stuff about my home town. And considering the astounding difference between the 1980s New York I moved to and the gentrified, sanitized Newyorkland it's become, I have no trouble relating to Author DeVillo's interesting browsing-book's premise of the many streets that Manhattan has called "The Bowery" over the centuries.
Exhaustively researched...the Bibliography and Endnotes will swell your TBRs, fellow New Yorkophiles!...and anecdotally presented, this is a perfect holiday-weekend-travel book. I call them "browsing books" because you can set it down at any point, pick it back up and take right up from where you left off. More than trivia lists, less than in-depth formal Histories, this is exactly what a beach bag or backpack needs loaded on your Kindle to stave off wait-time boredom.
January 15, 2021
I loved it. As a teenager and then in my twenties, heading from the safe suburbia of New Jersey to the Bowery to see a band play and get way too close to danger, this brought back memories. It also showed me a history that went back further than young (and stupid) me could ever imagine. A great, non-dangerous walk down a street I thought I knew well.
April 21, 2021
Bowery: The 19th Century New York City Neighborhood
This book is an exploration of Manhattan's historic neighborhoods in the southern part of the district that had secret spots and colorful characters. This includes the Five Points location; It was the scene of riots, scams, saloons, brothels, and drunkenness. Bowery encompasses Chinatown on the south; Lower East Side and the East Village to the east; and Little Italy to the west. Historically, it is considered a part of the Lower East Side of New York City.
In the 17th century, this area was owned by Dutch fur traders who gave way to farmers, these farms in turn gave way to taverns, saloons, circuses, tattoo parlors, flophouses, and brothels. By the 1890s, the Bowery was a center for prostitution, and bars catering to gays, lesbians, and orgies at various social levels. One investigator in late 1800s noted that six saloons and dance halls were the resorts of "degenerates" and "fairies." Even though it was ravaged by crime and poverty, it also invented tap dance, Jazz music, arts, theater, entertainment, and show-business. The poverty of this area was shared by immigrants of Irish, Jewish, German, Italian, Chinese, and African Americans population of that time.
In this book, author DeVillo describes the history of Bowery with few illustration and pictures. This book is overshadowed by several books on this topic by other authors which I found more entertaining and had more historical facts. I did not find this this book engaging. However, the book contains some images of Bowery district from late 1800s that is of some interest to the readers. But many of these pictures are obtained from Library of Congress which may also be accessed directly on the Library of Congress website.
This book is an exploration of Manhattan's historic neighborhoods in the southern part of the district that had secret spots and colorful characters. This includes the Five Points location; It was the scene of riots, scams, saloons, brothels, and drunkenness. Bowery encompasses Chinatown on the south; Lower East Side and the East Village to the east; and Little Italy to the west. Historically, it is considered a part of the Lower East Side of New York City.
In the 17th century, this area was owned by Dutch fur traders who gave way to farmers, these farms in turn gave way to taverns, saloons, circuses, tattoo parlors, flophouses, and brothels. By the 1890s, the Bowery was a center for prostitution, and bars catering to gays, lesbians, and orgies at various social levels. One investigator in late 1800s noted that six saloons and dance halls were the resorts of "degenerates" and "fairies." Even though it was ravaged by crime and poverty, it also invented tap dance, Jazz music, arts, theater, entertainment, and show-business. The poverty of this area was shared by immigrants of Irish, Jewish, German, Italian, Chinese, and African Americans population of that time.
In this book, author DeVillo describes the history of Bowery with few illustration and pictures. This book is overshadowed by several books on this topic by other authors which I found more entertaining and had more historical facts. I did not find this this book engaging. However, the book contains some images of Bowery district from late 1800s that is of some interest to the readers. But many of these pictures are obtained from Library of Congress which may also be accessed directly on the Library of Congress website.
March 2, 2018
Loved this! It’s full of quirky histories of the Bowery, including the Dutch settlers, gangs, crime bosses, tattoo and circus artists, freaks, drunks, junkies, artists, musicians and all the other lively and colorful characters who have populated the Bowery over the years. I did not find this text booky at all, but a lively and engaging narrative. I’m a tour guide and writer who loves NYC history and I thoroughly enjoyed this.
July 12, 2018
An entertaining bio of sorts about the Bowery that is engaging, illuminating and thought provoking. With its cast of colorful characters from its long history.
April 18, 2019
Having worked in the Chinatown/Little Italy/Soho/Bowery section of Manhattan as a NYC police officer for a few years I jumped at the chance to buy and read this book when I saw it.
Working in the area allowed me to speak with many older residents and the many different things around always led me to research more of its history.
This book is perhaps one of the best reads on any part of New York State History (a passion of mine) that I have read. It’s in depth look at the history of The Bowery was a fascinating read and kept me turning the pages from the start to the end. The Bowery is not only a tale of a street but New York City as a whole, and I cannot recommend this book enough!
Working in the area allowed me to speak with many older residents and the many different things around always led me to research more of its history.
This book is perhaps one of the best reads on any part of New York State History (a passion of mine) that I have read. It’s in depth look at the history of The Bowery was a fascinating read and kept me turning the pages from the start to the end. The Bowery is not only a tale of a street but New York City as a whole, and I cannot recommend this book enough!
October 13, 2023
To some, historically rich! To others, historically dry. I guess it’s all in how you look at it. Me? I’m a lover of bygone eras and hard, cold truths that society is now accepting of hearing, being so far removed. If you’re interested in the rural beginnings of New Amsterdam (modern-day New York), the Bowery’s immense influence on it, and rough and tumble scenes of the uprising of gangs and enduring political strife (to name a few), this read is a must.
January 21, 2018
This was really a delight, a history of NYC from the perspective of one of its more notable streets. I really enjoyed all the little anecdotes about the people who lived in the neighborhood and the little businesses up and down the street.
March 20, 2025
This was interesting.
April 2, 2023
Full of great research, but a slog to read and needs a ton more visuals to supplement the text, especially maps.
December 10, 2025
I've never even been to New York City but I found this book pretty interesting regardless. It could have used more maps.
October 20, 2018
The Bowery is probably New York's oldest and most infamous street. This amusing and informative book traces its history (and those of many of its inhabitants) over the centuries. There are tales, tall tales and P.T. Barnum involved, but you'll really enjoy the trip.
January 26, 2021
This book was extremely interesting and very educational. My only complaint is that, as a non-New Yorker, I cannot grasp the geography as explained. It is explained in great detail, but without a pictorial reference, I am unable to grasp exactly where in New York the Bowery is located. This being said, the author paints a narrative picture that allows your imagination to put the reader on the street to see the sights and hear the sounds as though you were there. I love it when books have the capability to whisk me away to an historical place and time and make me long to be a part of it - no matter how derelict or dangerous!
A must-read for any native New Yorker interested in their city's history, and a must-read for others who enjoy history in general.
A must-read for any native New Yorker interested in their city's history, and a must-read for others who enjoy history in general.
April 11, 2020
Great tale of one of my favorite streets in the city. Approaching this from a purely chronological standpoint was super helpful and it took me longer than normal to read as I kept looking up locations in Google Maps to remind myself of the specific corner the author referenced. Several friends live close to points referenced so that was a fun little personal bonus. I also read this in tandem with listening to several coincidentally relevant episodes of the Bowery Boys podcasts which really helped to ground me.
January 25, 2019
Brilliant history written in an anecdotal style that puts you in the places as you read about them. As a native New Yorker who has spent ample time in my 20s in the Bowery, and having performed in its venues (including CBGB’s), I feel like l might have lived some of those storied degenerative nights of too much drink and entertainment. Mr. DeVillo has given us a great resource to go back and relive a rich part of our beloved, yet forgotten NYC
August 13, 2021
My Heritage
A Part of America
Born in Brooklyn, and living in Far Rockaway until 1956, I only experienced Manhattan when my Mom took me there to visit. I never visited the Bowery.
However, being the grandchild of Jewish immigrants from Europe to New York, I enjoyed the Yiddish connection. This is part of my heritage, and I will treasure it as long as I live.
A Part of America
Born in Brooklyn, and living in Far Rockaway until 1956, I only experienced Manhattan when my Mom took me there to visit. I never visited the Bowery.
However, being the grandchild of Jewish immigrants from Europe to New York, I enjoyed the Yiddish connection. This is part of my heritage, and I will treasure it as long as I live.
May 28, 2018
How fast memory of the old Bowery faded.
The book is a nice computation of the history of Bowery. I remember some of the raucous history of the old Bowery but if you are a current visitor, none of that history is visible now. It’s just nostalgic to read up on a book like this.
The book is a nice computation of the history of Bowery. I remember some of the raucous history of the old Bowery but if you are a current visitor, none of that history is visible now. It’s just nostalgic to read up on a book like this.
September 27, 2021
I had always heard references to "The Bowery" but never really knew what it was other than a vague idea that it was a type of skid row for down and out alcoholics and drug users. This book provided lots of insight not only into what the Bowery is today, but how it came into being and changed over the years.
This is a very history-heavy book. It doesn't have a lot of dialog other than some relevant quotes sprinkled throughout and is very fact and timeline based. I like this type of book, so this wasn't unexpected or considered a negative, but for someone looking for a more storytelling approach, it may seem dry.
This is a very history-heavy book. It doesn't have a lot of dialog other than some relevant quotes sprinkled throughout and is very fact and timeline based. I like this type of book, so this wasn't unexpected or considered a negative, but for someone looking for a more storytelling approach, it may seem dry.
December 31, 2022
An entertaining read about the history of the famous Bowery section of Manhattan, a place you didn't want to end up in! Written in a simple story-telling, non-academic tone you learn of the constant struggles faced by this historic section and its inhabitants who faced astronomical crime and poverty levels and somehow managed to survive.
February 23, 2023
This is a great book for people who are really interested in the history of New York City. It doesn't really have a clear narrative, but is more like a series of anecdotes being shared by a really enthusiastic tour guide. It helps a lot if you know they area and can appreciate the descriptions of how things used to look.
July 9, 2018
Rich in detail. Perfect for the historian. Those with a casual interest can a good overview of the origin, progression and demise of the Bowery. Recommended if you have an interest in NYC and history.
February 24, 2019
A very comprehensive history of the Bowery from Dutch colonIl days to the present. At times a bit too detailed, but overall an interesting book that shows hoe New York neighborhoods are continually reinventing themselves.
January 27, 2020
The history of the Bowery from its founding to the present day. I found this book to be very thoroughly researched and engaging. The historic context of all the changes that happened in the Bowery is very well presented. An intriguing read for anyone with an interest in NYC.
July 22, 2021
This was a very interesting, well-written book about the history of the Bowery in New York from the beginning to the present. There was a lot of information in the book and it was never dry or boring. I learned a lot and enjoyed reading this book very much.
January 2, 2023
Tons of detailed history
I really enjoyed this book. Growing up in the outskirts of NYC the Bowery was just a story. This book contains so much detail that is clearly well researched. If you are interested in NYC or American history, this is a must read.
I really enjoyed this book. Growing up in the outskirts of NYC the Bowery was just a story. This book contains so much detail that is clearly well researched. If you are interested in NYC or American history, this is a must read.
May 31, 2023
This book was full of interesting facts and tidbits, presented in a very conversational, laid-back manner. Because of the Bowery's long and disjointed history, it wasn't very linear and and came across a tad stream of consciousness, but if you are curious about New York, I recommend!
November 26, 2024
Bawdy, gritty, and an interesting read. Washington Irving and The Ramones make cameos. Who knew that The New York City's Bowery was once the capitol tattoos before they were outlawed. Strongly recommend for any fans of NYC
July 13, 2025
The book is crammed with facts about the Bowery, both street and area. The author is a satisfactory, but not inspired, writer. I kept thinking this should be more fun to read versus feeling I was doing a required read for a college course.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews