Louis J. Parascandola is a professor of English at Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY. He is the editor of several books, including J. A. Rogers: Selected Writingsand A Coney Island Reader (with John Parascandola).John Parascandola (1941-2024) taught at the University of Wisconsin – Madison before serving as chief of the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine and as Public Health Service Historian. His many books include Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America (2008) and King of Poisons: A History of Arsenic (2012).

"Many authors have written of Atlantic City with nostalgia for bygone vacations or with criticism of the gambling industry and political corruption, but until now, no one has attempted to capture the multiplicity of viewpoints and commentary on the city across time in one volume. An Atlantic City Reader provides history, entertainment, and social commentary on 'America's Famous Playground' through a variety of lenses and voices." - Heather Perez, Stockton University and Atlantic City historian

• List of Illustrations xiiiForeword by Vicki Gold Levi xvSelected Chronology of Atlantic City xviiIntroduction 1Louis J. ParascandolaThe Early Years: Beginnings to 1916From Atlantic City: Its Early and Modern History 39CarneswortheFrom "Winter Sunrise" 41Walt WhitmanFrom "Our American Brighton" 43Maurice M. HowardFrom Atlantic City as a Winter Sanitarium: Its Geology, Climate, andIsothermal Relations, and Its Sanitary Effect upon Diseases and Invalids 47[John T. King]From Heston's Handbook of Atlantic City 53A. M. HestonFrom "Seaside Life in America" 57Francis H. Hardy"On the Boardwalk (in Atlantic City)" 63Mack Gordon and Josef MyrowFrom "'They Can't Help Getting Well Here': Seaside Hospitals forChildren in the United States: 1872–1917" 65Meghan Crnic and Cynthia ConnollyFrom "The Board-Walkers: Ten Days with Bertha at Atlantic City" 70Frank Ward O'Malley"Atlantic City: A Study in Black and White" 77Margaret L. Brett"The Rise and Fall of Kuehnle" 81Literary DigestFrom From Dublin to Chicago: Some Notes on a Tour in America 89George A. BirminghamFrom New Cosmopolis: A Book of Images 97James HunekerFrom Imitation of Life 101Fanny HurstThe "Golden" Years: 1917–1946"The American Utopia: Atlantic City" 109Bruce BlivenFrom Our American Adventure 113Arthur Conan Doyle"Atlantic City Waiter" 116Countee Cullen"Sand" 118John Matheus"When Baseball Was Atlantic City's Pastime" 123Diane Stopyra (Buzz Keough)From Atlantic City Proof 128Christopher Cook GilmoreFrom "The Atlantic City Convention" 134William Carlos Williams"Dark Dolores" 137Damon RunyonFrom A Girl and Five Brave Horses 150Sonora Webster CarverFrom Of Thee I Sing: A Musical Play in Two Acts 160George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, book; George Gershwin, music;Ira Gershwin, lyricsFrom Florence Adler Swims Forever 165Rachel Beanland"A Game of Monopoly in Chavannes" 169Maxine KuminFrom The Boardwalk 172Robert KotlowitzFrom The Skin of Our Teeth 179Thornton Wilder"How They Got Nucky Johnson" 186Jack Alexander"War at the Shore" 196Jim Waltzer and Tom WilkPost–World War II Decline: 1947–1976"Boardwalk in Season" 209E. J. Kahn Jr."Seashore Through Dark Glasses (Atlantic City)" 215Langston HughesFrom Rose 217Martin Sherman"Famous Rolling Chairs Beside the Sea" 222Gay Talese"Atlantic City Boardwalk: The Third Attraction" 226Rochelle Ratner"How the 1964 Democratic Convention Showed Atlantic City's Decay" 228Steven LemongelloFrom Looking for Miss America: A Pageant's 100-Year Quest toDefine Womanhood 234Margot Mifflin"Steel Pier 1962" 249Sandra E. Lundy"A Dowager's Decline" 251Newsweek"The Search for Marvin Gardens" 255John McPheeFrom The Hotel on St. James Place: Growing Up in Atlantic CityBetween the Boardwalk and the Holocaust 267Molly GolubcowGambling and Beyond? 1976 to the Present"Atlantic City" 275Bruce Springsteen"Atlantic City" 277Stephen Dunn"Razing the Tenements in Atlantic City" 279Barbara Helf gott HyettFrom Glitz 282Elmore LeonardFrom Under the Boardwalk 286Bill KentFrom Indecent Proposal 291Jack EngelhardFrom "Boardwalk of Broken Dreams" 296Priscilla PaintonFrom Only Begotten Daughter 306James MorrowFrom Boardwalk 313Joseph KertesFrom Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City: A Memoir 317Jane Wong"Atlantic City Sunday Morning" 323Gregory Pardlo"Labor Day: Atlantic City" 325Peter E. Murphy"Boardwalk Vampire" 327Steven Malanga"Is Atlantic City Finally on a Roll?" 336Ed Condran"Planned $2.7 Billion Atlantic City Development Calls forThousands of Homes, Stores and Racetrack" 341Jeff GoldmanAcknowledgments 343Text Credits 345Index 351

Louis J. Parascandola is a professor of English at Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY. He is the editor of several books, including J. A. Rogers: Selected Writingsand A Coney Island Reader (with John Parascandola).John Parascandola (1941-2024) taught at the University of Wisconsin – Madison before serving as chief of the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine and as Public Health Service Historian. His many books include Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America (2008) and King of Poisons: A History of Arsenic (2012).

"Many authors have written of Atlantic City with nostalgia for bygone vacations or with criticism of the gambling industry and political corruption, but until now, no one has attempted to capture the multiplicity of viewpoints and commentary on the city across time in one volume. An Atlantic City Reader provides history, entertainment, and social commentary on 'America's Famous Playground' through a variety of lenses and voices." - Heather Perez, Stockton University and Atlantic City historian

• List of Illustrations xiiiForeword by Vicki Gold Levi xvSelected Chronology of Atlantic City xviiIntroduction 1Louis J. ParascandolaThe Early Years: Beginnings to 1916From Atlantic City: Its Early and Modern History 39CarneswortheFrom "Winter Sunrise" 41Walt WhitmanFrom "Our American Brighton" 43Maurice M. HowardFrom Atlantic City as a Winter Sanitarium: Its Geology, Climate, andIsothermal Relations, and Its Sanitary Effect upon Diseases and Invalids 47[John T. King]From Heston's Handbook of Atlantic City 53A. M. HestonFrom "Seaside Life in America" 57Francis H. Hardy"On the Boardwalk (in Atlantic City)" 63Mack Gordon and Josef MyrowFrom "'They Can't Help Getting Well Here': Seaside Hospitals forChildren in the United States: 1872–1917" 65Meghan Crnic and Cynthia ConnollyFrom "The Board-Walkers: Ten Days with Bertha at Atlantic City" 70Frank Ward O'Malley"Atlantic City: A Study in Black and White" 77Margaret L. Brett"The Rise and Fall of Kuehnle" 81Literary DigestFrom From Dublin to Chicago: Some Notes on a Tour in America 89George A. BirminghamFrom New Cosmopolis: A Book of Images 97James HunekerFrom Imitation of Life 101Fanny HurstThe "Golden" Years: 1917–1946"The American Utopia: Atlantic City" 109Bruce BlivenFrom Our American Adventure 113Arthur Conan Doyle"Atlantic City Waiter" 116Countee Cullen"Sand" 118John Matheus"When Baseball Was Atlantic City's Pastime" 123Diane Stopyra (Buzz Keough)From Atlantic City Proof 128Christopher Cook GilmoreFrom "The Atlantic City Convention" 134William Carlos Williams"Dark Dolores" 137Damon RunyonFrom A Girl and Five Brave Horses 150Sonora Webster CarverFrom Of Thee I Sing: A Musical Play in Two Acts 160George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, book; George Gershwin, music;Ira Gershwin, lyricsFrom Florence Adler Swims Forever 165Rachel Beanland"A Game of Monopoly in Chavannes" 169Maxine KuminFrom The Boardwalk 172Robert KotlowitzFrom The Skin of Our Teeth 179Thornton Wilder"How They Got Nucky Johnson" 186Jack Alexander"War at the Shore" 196Jim Waltzer and Tom WilkPost–World War II Decline: 1947–1976"Boardwalk in Season" 209E. J. Kahn Jr."Seashore Through Dark Glasses (Atlantic City)" 215Langston HughesFrom Rose 217Martin Sherman"Famous Rolling Chairs Beside the Sea" 222Gay Talese"Atlantic City Boardwalk: The Third Attraction" 226Rochelle Ratner"How the 1964 Democratic Convention Showed Atlantic City's Decay" 228Steven LemongelloFrom Looking for Miss America: A Pageant's 100-Year Quest toDefine Womanhood 234Margot Mifflin"Steel Pier 1962" 249Sandra E. Lundy"A Dowager's Decline" 251Newsweek"The Search for Marvin Gardens" 255John McPheeFrom The Hotel on St. James Place: Growing Up in Atlantic CityBetween the Boardwalk and the Holocaust 267Molly GolubcowGambling and Beyond? 1976 to the Present"Atlantic City" 275Bruce Springsteen"Atlantic City" 277Stephen Dunn"Razing the Tenements in Atlantic City" 279Barbara Helf gott HyettFrom Glitz 282Elmore LeonardFrom Under the Boardwalk 286Bill KentFrom Indecent Proposal 291Jack EngelhardFrom "Boardwalk of Broken Dreams" 296Priscilla PaintonFrom Only Begotten Daughter 306James MorrowFrom Boardwalk 313Joseph KertesFrom Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City: A Memoir 317Jane Wong"Atlantic City Sunday Morning" 323Gregory Pardlo"Labor Day: Atlantic City" 325Peter E. Murphy"Boardwalk Vampire" 327Steven Malanga"Is Atlantic City Finally on a Roll?" 336Ed Condran"Planned $2.7 Billion Atlantic City Development Calls forThousands of Homes, Stores and Racetrack" 341Jeff GoldmanAcknowledgments 343Text Credits 345Index 351