Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics

By George Washington Plunkitt, William L. Riordon, William L. Riordan, et al.

Book Overview

"'Plunkitt of Tammany Hall' contained the musings of George Washington Plunkitt (1842-1924), the powerful Irish-American politician. It would never be associated with works by Locke, Rousseau and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525484132
• ISBN13: 9780525484134
• Release Date: March 1963
• Publisher: Plume- E.P. Dutton
• Length: 98 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

One of the most important political books

Rarely is a political book as entertaining as it is informative. This is one of those rarities. Riordon provides a classic examination of the reality of big-city politics as it was practiced a century ago. Any principled person considering a career in politics should read this book to understand what makes many self-interested, career politicians tick.

An excellent book for the study of political machines.

I used this book for research on turn-of-the-century politics, particularly political machines. I found it to be very useful in describing the ways party bosses manipulated and filandered in order to gain power. Plunkitt's candid style made for a very entertaining and informative read.

Plunkitt Tells it Like it is

Plunkitt was a king in a world that needed benevolent despots. In a place like turn of the century of New York before Keynesian economics and the Welfare State, Tammany was the only relief the poor knew. Plunkitt reveals with refreshing honesty the seemingly rough and coarse manner with which one needed to play the game of politics in his town. However, one must look at it in context. This was a different time from our own, and the reader must imagine whether a person of Plunkitt's demeanor can last in the information age political world. Then again, the book also illustrates how many of the problems Tammany had still exist today.