Hell's half acre : the life and legend of a red-light district /

Selcer certainly did his homework, as the 46 pages of notes and 14 pages of bibliography attest. Hell's Half Acre is written in an easy, relaxed, "gossipy" style that befits its subject matter, and covers the full range of the "Paris of the plains" existence, characters, and happenings. The author offers disclaimers that the book is not so full or complete as other works on red light districts in Kansas or Colorado, because of the lack of primary resources. However, it should not take a back seat to those works. The major problem of the study is the repetition of information given earlier, apparently to make the accounts fuller. The only other criticism is that photos often follow the related story by one to three pages. The illustrations are generally of average quality, but relevant to the text. Overall, a well-done, interesting study of that aspect of Fort Worth's history.-W. T. Eagan, University of Southern Colorado

The red-light district of Fort Worth, Texas began its colorful history with the cattle drives of the 1870s and lingered on through World War I. The ``Acre,'' according to this entertaining account, supported a variety of vices, notably drinking, gambling, and prostitution. It also played host to the Wild Bunch, Sam Bass, and other colorful characters. This lively and readable work suffers from a repetitive text and some minor factual errors. For example, ``Squirrel-tooth Alice,'' a well-known bawd, acquired her moniker on account of her pet, not her appearance. Due to a paucity of local sources, the author relies on ``scholarly imagination'' and accounts of other tenderloins. The bibliography includes many major secondary works, although Anne Butler's excellent Daughters of Joy, Sisters of Misery ( LJ 3/1/85) is unaccountably absent. Selcer's books would appeal to general and informed readers.-- Daniel Liestman, Seattle Pacific Univ. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.