'When I was first approached by HBO to use Nelson Johnson's book as the basis for a TV series, my biggest challenge was choosing a time period in which to set it...Ultimately I settled on the 1920s of Atlantic City's legendary treasurer Nucky Johnson...A place of spectacle, shady politics, fast women and backroom deals' -Terence Winter, Emmy Award-winning writer of "The Sopranos" and Executive Producer of "Boardwalk Empire". From its humble beginnings as a fledgling seaside resort, Atlantic City grew to be America's playground - loud, brash, and dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. In 1920 alcohol was banned across the States under Prohibition, yet , thanks to racketeers and corrupt politicians, the liquor in Atlantic City never stopped flowing. As the brothels, bars and gambling rooms flourished, the reputation of both the city itself and its most famous resident grew. Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson was a powerful political force and leading figure in organised crime. His corrupt alliance created a city where the rules just didn't apply, the dollar ruled and the law could be bought. The book that inspired the HBO series, "Boardwalk Empire" brings to life Nucky and the whole cast of his shady associates. Recounting the life of this fascinating city and its most colourful residents, it's a brilliantly told story of a city built on cards and dice, booze and broads.

Boardwalk Empire

History

NELSON JOHNSON

Americas

Ebury Press

Through most of the 20th century, Atlantic City, New Jersey, was controlled by a powerful partnership of local politicians and racketeers. Funded by payoffs from gambling rooms, bars and brothels, this corrupt alliance reached full bloom during the reign of Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson - the second of the 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 splendour. Author Nelson Johnson traces 'AC' from its birth as a quiet seaside health resort, through the corruption, notorious backroom politics and power struggles, to the city's rebirth as an international entertainment and gambling mecca where anything goes. Boardwalk Empire is the true story that inspired the epic HBO series starring Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt and Kelly Macdonald. 'As good, if not better, than the television series' Independent

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

Historical Study & Educational Resources

<p>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.</p>

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

Amereon Ltd

Fall_River_Press

From its inception, Atlantic City has always been a town dedicated to the fast buck, and this wide-reaching history offers a riveting account of its past 100 years, from the city's heyday as a Prohibition-era mecca of lawlessness to its rebirth as a legitimate casino resort in the modern era.A colorful cast of characters, led by Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, populates this stranger-than-fiction account of corrupt politics and the toxic power structure that grew out of guile, finesse, and extortion. Atlantic City's shadowy past through its rise, fall, and rebirth is given new light in this revealing, and often appalling, study of legislative abuse and organized crime.This audiobook, narrated by Joe Mantegna, is the true story that inspired the HBO series of the same name. It includes a foreword written and narrated by Terence Winter.

BRILLIANCE AUDIO ^

<p>Review      Nelson Johnson has opened the door on a neglected yet critical aspect of the African-American experience in the modern era. ... The Northside reminds us that black history is American history. --Wendel A. WhiteFrom the grand Boardwalk hotels to the Paradise Club to Chicken Bone Beach, the racism of the times kept Atlantic City's blacks segregated from white tourists. But in response, African Americans built their own city within a city and a unique, tight-knit, thriving community that Nelson Johnson has chronicled here in fascinating detail. --James Perskie, The Press of Atlantic CityThe Northside manages to capture all the subtlety and grit that shaped the lives of people, especially African Americans, in Atlantic City in the mid-20th Century a microcosm of the issues gripping the nation during those turbulent times. A remarkable and inspiring book. --Donna Brazile, political commentator, CNN and ABC, and contributing columnist, Ms. and O, The Oprah Magazine      Product Description      Nelson Johnson frequently stopped working on Boardwalk Empire to wrestle with how best to handle the thorny subject of race. But he persisted, and the result was a chapter 'A Plantation by the Sea' that inspired this powerful sequel. In The Northside, Johnson brings the untold story of Atlantic City's black community vividly to life, from the arrival of the first African Americans to Absecon Island in the early 19th century through the glory days of the 'World's Playground.' Drawing on dozens of personal interviews and painstaking archival research, he reveals long-forgotten details about the people on whose backs the gambling mecca was built and offers a wide-ranging survey of the accomplishments of more recent generations. Exploited for their labor and banished to the most undesirable part of town, resilient Northsiders created a vibrant city within a city a place where black culture could thrive and young people could aspire to become artists, athletes, educators, and leaders of business, politics, and society. As Nelson Johnson shows in this unflinching portrait, Atlantic City was built on their toil and the Northside was born of their dreams.      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.Johnson's previous book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, inspired the critically acclaimed HBO series from Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter.</p>

The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City

Plexus Publishing, Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by NELSON JOHNSON. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by NELSON JOHNSON

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by NELSON JOHNSON. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Boardwalk Empire

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

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

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

Boardwalk Empire

The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City