During the late 1870s, English reporter Harry H. Marks covered New York City in intimate and often idiosyncratic detail. He wrote about the tenements, Chinese immigrants, burglary tools, French communists, organ grinders, trained monkeys, and bohemians.These 30 stories, published in 1888 as "Small Change; or, Lights and Shades of New York" (1882), are being reprinted because they shine a rarely seen light on the common people of the city.Pawnbroker to the Rich: "See that solid silver pitcher; that was presented years ago to a well-known gentleman by A. T. Stewart, Wm. B. Astor, Brown Brothers and others. ? There on the side were the names of Stewart and Astor. I erased, them, and if you want to present it to Mayor Grace, I will engrave his name on it and give it to you cheap."Organ Grinders: "At all seasons of the year the organ-grinder, of all men, battens on the misfortunes of others; for, strange to say among a music-loving people, he is most liberally paid when the payment is conditional upon his going as far away as possible."Chinese Men: "Many Chinamen have found white wives and live happily with them. I had some conversation with a bright, intelligent Irish girl, the wife of a young Chinaman, and she told me that she was well satisfied with her lot ? because he was sober, kind, had plenty of money and did not run after other women.""An English Reporter in Gilded Age New York" is history as observation and reportage about people who never appear in the history books. Some of it is satirical ("The Midsummer Maiden"), some of it sad ("Women Who Work"), and some a celebration of life ("A Bavarian Fest Tag"). It's a book for those interested in New York City, the Gilded Age, and historical fiction. Marks' New York is unforgettable.

One of the country’s most powerful families embroiled in sex, lies, bigamy, and blackmail . . . and every new, deliciously humiliating morsel splashed across every newspaper in America Now in paperback, the believe-it-or-not historical true crime behind one of the greatest scandals of the Gilded Age, and the story that gave rise to the sensational tabloid journalism still driving so much of the news cycle in the 21st century. An Alexander Hamilton heir, a beautiful female con artist, an abandoned baby, and the shocking courtroom drama that was splashed across front pages from coast to coast . . . It’s a historical true crime story almost too tawdry to be true—a con woman met the descendant of a Founding Father in a brothel, duped him into marriage using an infant purchased from a baby farm, then went to prison for stabbing the couple’s baby nurse—all while in a common-law marriage with another man. The scandal surrounding Evangeline and Robert Ray Hamilton was one of the sensations of the Gilded Age, a sordid, gripping tale involving bigamy, bribery, sex, and violence. Through personal correspondence, court records, and sensational newspaper accounts, The Scandalous Hamiltons explores not only the full, riveting saga of ill-fated Ray and Eva, but the rise of tabloid journalism—including an exclusive interview conducted by world-famous investigative reporter Nellie Bly—in a story that unfurls as a timeless tale of ambition, greed, and obsession. “Fans of Erik Larson–style histories and anyone who just loves a fun, gossipy read will love The Scandalous Hamiltons.” —Apple Books, Best of the Month Selection "Adultery? Check. Attempted murder? Check. Baby-trafficking? Check. These are just a few of the missteps of the woman who rained humiliation onto the House of Hamilton." —Marlene Wagman-Geller, author of Women of Means: Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls

Beginning with America’s first newspaper, investigative reporting has provided journalism with its most significant achievements and challenging controversies. Yet it was an ill-defined practice until the 1960s when it emerged as a potent voice in newspapers and on television news programs. In The Evolution of American Investigative Journalism, James L. Aucoin provides readers with the first comprehensive history of investigative journalism, including a thorough account of the founding and achievements of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). Aucoin begins by discussing in detail the tradition of investigative journalism from the colonial era through the golden age of muckraking in the 1900s, and into the 1960s. Subsequent chapters examine the genre’s critical period from 1960 to 1975 and the founding of IRE by a group of journalists in the 1970s to promote investigative journalism and training methods. Through the organization’s efforts, investigative journalism has evolved into a distinct practice, with defined standards and values. Aucoin applies the social-moral development theory of Alasdair MacIntyre—who has explored the function, development, and value of social practices—to explain how IRE contributed to the evolution of American investigative journalism. Also included is a thorough account of IRE’s role in the controversial Arizona Project. After Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles (a founding member of IRE) was murdered while investigating land fraud, scores of reporters from around the country descended on the area to continue his work. The Arizona Project brought national attention and stature to the fledgling IRE and was integral to its continuing survival. Emerging investigative reporters and editors, as well as students and scholars of journalism history, will benefit from the detailed presentation and insightful discussion provided in this book.

These new essays tell the stories of daring reporters, male and female, sent out by their publishers not to capture the news but to make the news--indeed to achieve star billing--and to capitalize on the Gilded Age public's craze for real-life adventures into the exotic and unknown. They examine the adventure journalism genre through the work of iconic writers such as Mark Twain and Nellie Bly, as well as lesser-known journalistic masters such as Thomas Knox and Eliza Scidmore, who took to the rivers and oceans, mineshafts and mountains, rails and trails of the late nineteenth century, shaping Americans' perceptions of the world and of themselves.