{"product_id":"the-shakespeare-riots-revenge-drama-and-death-in-nineteenthcentury-america","title":"The Shakespeare Riots: Revenge  Drama  and Death in Nineteenth-Century America","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the bloodiest incidents in New Yorks history  the so-called Astor Place Riot of May 10  1849  was ignited by a long-simmering grudge match between the two leading Shakespearean actors of the age. Despite its unlikely origins  though  there was nothing remotely quaint about this pivotal moment in historythe unprecedented shooting by American soldiers of dozens of their fellow citizens  leading directly to the arming of American police forces.  The Shakespeare Riots recounts the story of this momentous night  its two larger-than-life protagonists  and the myriad political and cultural currents that fueled the violence. In an engrossing narrative that moves at a breakneck pace from the American frontier to the Mississippi River  to the posh theaters of London  to the hangouts of the most notorious street gangs of the day  Nigel Cliff weaves a spellbinding saga of soaring passions  huge egos  and venal corruption.  Cliff charts the course of this tragedy from its beginnings as a somewhat comical contretemps between Englishman William Charles Macready  the haughty lion of the London stage  and Edwin Forrest  the first great American star and a popular hero to millions. Equally celebrated  and equally self-centered  the two were once friends  then adversaries. Exploiting this rivalry  nativist agitators organized mobs of bullyboys to flex their muscle by striking a blow against the foppish Macready and the Old Worlds cultural hegemony that he represented.  The moment Macready took the stage in New York  his adversaries sprang into action  first by throwing insults  then rotten eggs  then chairs. When he dared show his face again  an estimated twenty thousand packed the streets around the theater. As cobblestones from outside rained down on the audience  National Guard troops were called in to quell the riot. Finding themselves outmatched  the Guardsmen discharged their weapons at the crowd  with horrific results. When the smoke cleared  as many as thirty people lay dead  with scores more wounded.  The Shakespeare Riots is social and cultural history of the highest order. In this wondrous saga Nigel Cliff immerses readers in the bustle of mid-nineteenth-century New York  re-creating the celebrity demimonde of the day and capturing all the high drama of a violent night that robbed a nation of its innocence.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44983869243445,"sku":"ByrdShop_0345486943","price":30.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780345486943.jpg?v=1770811877","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-shakespeare-riots-revenge-drama-and-death-in-nineteenthcentury-america","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}