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The Devil's Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square
by
James Traub
As Times Square turns 100, New York Times Magazine contributing writer James Traub tells the story of how this mercurial district became one of the most famous and exciting places in the world. The Devil’s Playground is classic and colorful American history, from the first years of the twentieth century through the Runyonesque heyday of nightclubs and theaters in the 1920s...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
December 21st 2004
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published March 16th 2004)
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What is it with folks who write for the New Yorker publishing books that claim to be stand-alone works but are, in actuality, simply a collection of the articles they've written for the New Yorker, expanded and stitched together with rough yarn?
All of that said, I enjoyed the read immensely, regardless of the patchwork feel of the thing. Traub does a nice job of presenting the history of Times Square (if a little spotty on some of the details of certain, "uninteresting" eras)
One feels nostalgic...more
All of that said, I enjoyed the read immensely, regardless of the patchwork feel of the thing. Traub does a nice job of presenting the history of Times Square (if a little spotty on some of the details of certain, "uninteresting" eras)
One feels nostalgic...more
This was a very good read. A comprehensive and entertaining history of Times Square and through it a history of entertainment in America. The chapters on the glory days and decline of this area are fascinating and entertaining. I'll be in New York in a few weeks and I look forward to seeing Times Square with new eyes. ...more
I really enjoyed this book, which traces the history of Times Square from its earliest beginnings to the era of redevelopment and "Disneyfication" in the 1990s. I was surprised to find myself liking the later, more contemporary chapters, just as much if not more as those on Times Square's early days. It seemed that perhaps Traub, a reporter at the NYT, was more engaged with the later chapters, for which he could do on-the-scenes research and interviews, than with the earlier ones, which were all...more
I went to school in Times Sq. during the twilight of its dirty days. I miss the grit and dirt and am blinded by the lights making TSQ the playground it was never meant to be. One thing that hasn't changed is how much the tourists annoy the fuck out of me
More like 2 1/2 stars. It's a fascinating subject, but the book is just not that well written.
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A fast concise and fascinating history of 100 years of Times Square. Who new urban history could be so much fun.
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