The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865--1913 by Riess, Steven
The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865--1913 by Riess, Steven

The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865--1913

Thoroughbred racing was one of the first major sports in early America. Horse racing thrived because it...
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
SKU: 9780815609858
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 939 left in stock
Author: Steven Riess
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: BD$67.55
10 customers are viewing this product
The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865--1913 by Riess, Steven

The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865--1913

BD$67.55
The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865--1913 by Riess, Steven

The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865--1913

BD$67.55
Author: Steven Riess
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description

Thoroughbred racing was one of the first major sports in early America. Horse racing thrived because it was a high-status sport that attracted the interest of both old and new money. It grew because spectators enjoyed the pageantry, the exciting races, and, most of all, the gambling. As the sport became a national industry, the New York metropolitan area, along with the resort towns of Saratoga Springs (New York) and Long Branch (New Jersey), remained at the center of horse racing with the most outstanding race courses, the largest purses, and the finest thoroughbreds.

Riess narrates the history of horse racing, detailing how and why New York became the national capital of the sport from the mid-1860s until the early twentieth century. The sport's survival depended upon the racetrack being the nexus between politicians and organized crime. The powerful alliance between urban machine politics and track owners enabled racing in New York to flourish. Gambling, the heart of racing's appeal, made the sport morally suspect. Yet democratic politicians protected the sport, helping to establish the State Racing Commission, the first state agency to regulate sport in the United States. At the same time, racetracks became a key connection between the underworld and Tammany Hall, enabling illegal poolrooms and off-course bookies to operate. Organized crime worked in close cooperation with machine politicians and local police officers to protect these illegal operations. In The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime, Riess fills a long-neglected gap in sports history, offering a richly detailed and fascinating chronicle of thoroughbred racing's heyday.

Author: Steven Riess
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 05/15/2011
Pages: 446
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.21lbs
Size: 10.27h x 7.28w x 1.22d
ISBN: 9780815609858


Award: Society of Midland Authors Award - Finalist


Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2012

About the Author
Steven A. Riess is a Bernard Brommel Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of History at Northeastern Illinois University, where he has taught for thirty-five years. He is the author of several books on the history of sport including Touching Base: Professional Baseball and American Culture in the Progressive Era and City Games: The Evolution of American Society and the Rise of Sports.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review

Related Products

Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD
Example product title
BD$67.55 BMD
BD$67.55 BMD

Recently Viewed Products