Playing the Numbers: Gambling in Harlem Between the Wars

by Shane White, Stephen Robertson, Stephen Garton, et al.

Book Overview

The phrase "Harlem in the 1920s" evokes images of the Harlem Renaissance, or of Marcus Garvey and soapbox orators haranguing crowds about politics and race. Yet the most ubiquitous feature of Harlem life between the world wars was the game of "numbers." Thousands of wagers, usually of a dime or less, would be placed on a daily number derived from U.S. bank statistics. The rewards of "hitting the number," a 600-to-1 payoff, tempted the ordinary...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674051076
• ISBN13: 9780674051072
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.3"