Thank goodness the NYT reviewed this; I snapped it up and have read it through twice, frequently laughing out loud and just as often gasping in shock. A human, funny, offensive, very lively and colorful tour of New York boarding houses, apartments, tenements in the mid-19th century (the author's adventures seem to have taken place in the 1840s and early '50s). I alternately fell in love with Gunn and wanted to sock him on the jaw. But you will never forget this book and will want to come back and dip into it often. The illustrations, too, are priceless. Bravo! to the publisher for reissuing this!