Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City - Softcover

Nelson Johnson

3.43

2,907 ratings by Goodreads

9780937548493: Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0937548499 ISBN 13: 9780937548493

Publisher: Plexus Publishing (NJ), 2002

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

A bustling little city by the seashore, totally dependent upon money spent by tourists, Atlantic City s popularity rose in the early 20th century and peaked during Prohibition. The resort s singular purpose of providing a good time to its visitors whether lawful or not demanded a single mentality to rule the town. Success of the local economy was the only ideology, and critics and do-gooders weren t tolerated. By 1900, a political juggernaut, funded by payoffs from gambling rooms, bars, and brothels, was firmly entrenched. For the next 70 years, Atlantic City was dominated by a partnership comprised of local politicians and racketeers. This unique alliance reached full bloom in the person of Enoch Nucky Johnson the second of three bosses to head the Republican machine that dominated city politics and society. In Boardwalk Empire, Nucky Johnson, Louis the Commodore Kuehnle, Frank Hap Farley, and Atlantic City itself spring to life in all their garish splendor. Author Nelson Johnson traces AC from its humble beginnings as Jonathan Pitney s seaside health resort, through the notorious backroom politics and power struggles, to the city s astonishing rebirth as an entertainment and gambling mecca where just about anything goes. Boardwalk Empire is a colorful, irresistible history of a unique city and culture. Here is proof positive that truth is stranger and more compelling than fiction. For more information about the HBO television series, or to order the book visit the Plexus Publishing, Inc. website.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Nelson Johnson, whose family s presence in Atlantic County predates the founding of Atlantic City, is a lifelong resident of Hammonton, New Jersey. He practiced law for 30 years and was active in Atlantic City and Atlantic County politics through much of that period. As attorney for the Atlantic City Planning Board at the time of the approvals for many of the casinos, he was inspired first to make sense of Atlantic City and later to write an objective political history of the town. The interviews, research, and writing Johnson undertook spanned nearly two decades and resulted in the 2001 book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. Johnson continues to work as an author, researcher, and historian but his day job has changed since the release of Boardwalk Empire: He is currently a Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, sitting in the Civil Division of Atlantic County. His next book will cover the history of Atlantic City s black community and the contributions of African-Americans to the city s growth and success.

From AudioFile:

Joe Mantegna's steady, unaffected reading of Johnson's history of Atlantic City is a model of good audiobook narration. Mantegna seems the perfect choice for this title, a solid professional whose voice is tuned both to the drama of individual moments and to the rising and falling arcs of the narrative as a whole. Most important, with ease and consistency he keeps up the pace of a story that sometimes drags as the author reviews the city's racial history, political structure, and intricate gaming laws. There's plenty to enjoy, and the HBO series based on Johnson's book covers only a portion of it. Not just for history buffs, this is also a study in how communities and businesses grow and decline--and are sometimes reborn. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.