An Important Update

There is no denying that it has been quite some time since my last update. Unfortunately, 17th Street simply became a casualty of trying to fit too much into too little time. Rest assured that I never had any plans to permanently walk away from something that has given me so much over the years, so I am back to share an important update with those of you who, like me, continue to appreciate these wonderful books.

Let’s begin with the news that I’m sure you are all most interested in. Loyal readers would be aware that several years ago Mulholland Books announced that they would be publishing the long-awaited third Alienist novel in late 2019. When this did not come to pass, it prompted a number of readers to wonder what had happened. I have now had it confirmed that the book suffered a significant delay due to a necessary change in its concept and plot from what had originally been announced. Fortunately, the resulting change has been well-received by everyone involved, and I’m sure we are all looking forward to learning more about the new book’s premise once it is announced.

Even though this is good news for the series, I am sorry to report that this third instalment is also facing an additional challenge. Unfortunately, it has been confirmed that Caleb Carr is currently waging a formidable health battle that is slowing his progress on the book. Despite this, I can confirm that Caleb still has every intention of moving forward with the novel in the future and is looking forward to doing so. First and foremost, however, he needs to continue to focus his energy on his ongoing treatment. I hope you will join me in wishing Caleb the very best as he fights this important battle.

Finally, regular visitors to the website will be aware that this update also brings change to the air. After many years with the old site layout, I decided it was time to finally be refreshed. So, in honour of Caleb’s birthday today, I am pleased to share 17th Street’s new look with you all. I hope that you like the layout and find it easy to navigate. You may also notice some small updates to the formatting throughout the site over the coming weeks.

A Long Overdue Update and Future Plans

It has been nearly a year since I last updated 17th Street and so much has happened in the interim.

For those of you who are new to the site or discovered 17th Street as a result of the 2018 TV adaptation of The Alienist, you may be unaware of this website’s history. 17th Street was first opened in 2005 with the intention of providing interested readers with everything they could ever want to know about Caleb Carr’s Alienist books. Over the years, the website has experienced both busy and slow periods, primarily due to a lack of news about upcoming books and my own study/work commitments. Even so, the site slowly grew and developed into the resource you see today.

For the past year, I have been extremely busy with work. However, I have also been devoting a lot of time to the development of another project that evolved out of my love of classic literature. Anybody who has been a long-term visitor to the website will be familiar with a series of blog posts that I started writing in 2013. These 17th StreetBook Blogs” provided short reviews of 19th century classics and historical nonfiction that I felt may be of interest to readers of the Alienist books. These were some of the most enjoyable blogs for me to write, so it should come as little surprise that this love of history and classic literature led me to start working on a new project that directly relates to those interests: revitalising some of the finest works of literature from around the globe. While I will not be discussing the project in any depth here, readers who are interested in seeing what I am doing now, particularly those who also enjoy classic literature, are welcome to visit the home of my new endeavour, Sophene Armeniaca.

Although it may seem as though I have abandoned 17th Street, this is not the case. I still love the Alienist books—they hold a special place in my heart—and I am hopeful that one day we will see a sequel published. Even so, I did not feel as positively about the TV series that emerged as a result of the books. I did watch the series in 2018, but I felt that it deviated too far from the source material for me to truly appreciate. I understand that those of you who found 17th Street as a result of the TV series will feel differently to me. Although I hope fans of the adaptation do not feel unwelcome here, visitors need to understand that the reason I maintain this website is for the books, not for any adaptations.

All of this brings me to the directions I will be taking with 17th Street into the future. As I mentioned above, my new endeavour is very time consuming, which means that I have much less time to devote to other projects such as 17th Street. In saying this, I will not be closing the site and I would like to become active here again in the future; however, this comes with a caveat. Ultimately, I want to return to my roots with this website. This means that I will not be providing any updates about adaptations here. I may occasionally discuss a book that relates to an adaptation (such as the upcoming adaptation of The Devil Soldier), but that is as far as I will be going. Any book-related news will still be posted here.

Thank you for your continued support and I hope you continue to return in the future.

Anthony Comstock Character Profile

As regular 17th Street visitors would be aware, I am (very) slowly completing the supporting character profiles for historical figures that appear in The Alienist. As part of this, I recently completed the profile for the notorious United States Postal Censor, Anthony Comstock. You can now find his character profile below as well as on the supporting characters list.

Comstock, Mr. Anthony

Appears in The Alienist

The fanatical moral reformer Anthony Comstock (1844-1915) only appears in The Alienist on one occasion, but he plays an important role in the novel behind the scenes. Born in Connecticut and raised in a devout Congregationalist home, Comstock served two years in the Union Army before moving to New York City where he married and found work in a dry-goods establishment. Appalled by the city’s rampant vice, Comstock helped to form the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1872. The following year, he came to prominence for convincing legislators that abortion and birth control was as much of a threat to public morality as the “obscene” material (i.e., pornography and indecent literature) targeted by existing legislation. He argued that the consumption of such material resulted from increasing promiscuity among younger generations that was concealed through contraceptive use and abortifacients. Until this point, there had been no federal restrictions on abortion or birth control.

As a result of Comstock’s lobbying, Congress passed An Act for the Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, Obscene Literature and Articles of Immoral Use, better known as the Comstock Law, in 1873. The act strengthened existing legislation as well as banning the importation, sale, or distribution of any materials relating to abortion or contraception. Penalties for breaking the law included fines of up to $5,000, or jail and hard labor for a maximum of 10 years. Following the passage of the act, Comstock was appointed as a “special agent” of the United States Postal Service, a role he maintained from 1873 to 1915. During his time as Postal Censor, Comstock’s zealous enforcement of the law resulted in more than 3,600 arrests, and drove at least sixteen people to suicide, including the well-known abortionist Ann Lohman.

Although originally concerned with birth control and abortion, Comstock’s moral crusade had expanded to such a point by the time The Alienist was set in 1896 that he was even attempting to suppress nudity in artwork and medical anatomy textbooks, resulting in indiscriminate raids on art galleries and art schools. By this time, he had also written several books to educate the public about moral dangers in the urban environment.

Click here to read more. Warning: Contains spoilers for The Alienist

We don’t meet Anthony Comstock in The Alienist until John Moore and Dr. Kreizler are taken at gunpoint to the meeting with church officials and former Police Superintendent Thomas Byrnes at the financier J. P. Morgan’s mansion. At this meeting we discover that Comstock has been among those trying to hinder progress in the investigation. While Byrnes’ opposition related to a concern that the team’s methods may threaten his legacy, and church officials feared an uprising of the immigrant population, Comstock’s opposition was rooted in his fear that through becoming “actively involved in civic affairs,” Dr. Kreizler would “spread unrest by discrediting the values of the American family and society.” Specifically, he believed that Dr. Kreizler’s theory of context “speaks against freedom, against responsibility,” and is ultimately “un-American.” In Comstock’s view, the investigation therefore needed to be stopped because if the team were to succeed, Dr. Kreizler’s dangerous ideas “might gain greater credence.” (For more on this, see Part Two of the 17th Street blog about the themes of The Alienist.)

Even though J. P. Morgan is convinced by Dr. Kreizler’s arguments in favour of continuing the investigation, he explains to Kreizler and John that he believes, “Byrnes will continue to harass you, in an effort to preserve the methods and organization he has spent so many years establishing. And he will have Comstock’s support.” True to this prediction, the team continues to be tailed as they go on with the investigation. However, it quickly becomes apparent that although Byrnes and Comstock may have originally been responsible for having the team followed, neither individual may now be calling all the shots. Even John is surprised by an attack they receive while on the road. Kreizler is convinced that Comstock is behind the attack, but John disagrees: “Long-range assassins don’t really seem like Comstock’s style, though.” How much blame can therefore be attributed to Comstock for the events that follow in the novel is unclear.

Sources and further reading: Kenneth T. Jackson (Ed.), “The Encyclopaedia of New York City” (1995), Wilbur R. Miller (Ed.), “The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: An Encyclopedia” (2012), and Luc Sante, “Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York” (1991).

Social Media Updates

Over the past few weeks a considerable amount of news has been released about TNT’s TV adaptation of The Alienist, along with Caleb Carr’s upcoming novel, Surrender, New York. As more news will continue to appear over the coming weeks and months for both of these projects, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to highlight a few social media channels that may help you stay up to date. In addition to these, remember that the fastest way to stay up to date is via Twitter and Google+.

Instagram

If you haven’t already taken a peek at 17th Street’s new instagram account, I recommend you do so. In addition to posting occasional news from 17th Street, it is currently featuring a virtual tour of several New York City locations from The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness, presented in the order they appear in the novels along with relevant quotes from the novels. So far (see below) we have visited John at 19 Washington Square North, accompanied him to the first murder scene at the Williamsburg Bridge, and have arrived at the Kreizler Institute for Children to visit Dr. Kreizler. What location will be next? To find out, follow us @17thstreetnet!

http://www.instagram.com/p/BC6_BY6HRBR/ http://www.instagram.com/p/BDHnVklnRDU/ http://www.instagram.com/p/BDcSPWmnRFN/

Facebook

Although 17th Street does not have a dedicated Facebook page, you can find the latest information about Surrender, New York at a Facebook page that has recently appeared. As we get closer to the release of the novel, presumably the dates and locations of book signings, along with any other news that may be of interest of Caleb Carr’s readers, will be released there as well as on 17th Street.