I have a massive passion for historical vice.  I must have seen everything in the Hardcore History series at least twice.  Something about the idea of a history uncovered by accident, not archived on purpose- it’s like a secret we’re sleuthy enough to find out.  Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America’s Soul looks fascinating- a historical view of the battle between wealthy vice purveyors and puritans in one of the naughtiest eras in American history.  From BN.com:

Step into the perfumed parlors of the Everleigh Club, the most famous brothel in American history–and the catalyst for a culture war that rocked the nation. Operating in Chicago’s notorious Levee district at the dawn of the last century, the Club’s proprietors, two aristocratic sisters named Minna and Ada Everleigh, welcomed moguls and actors, senators and athletes, foreign dignitaries and literary icons, into their stately double mansion, where thirty stunning Everleigh “butterflies” awaited their arrival. Courtesans named Doll, Suzy Poon Tang, and Brick Top devoured raw meat to the delight of Prince Henry of Prussia and recited poetry for Theodore Dreiser. Whereas lesser madams pocketed most of a harlot’s earnings and kept a “whipper” on staff to mete out discipline, the Everleighs made sure their girls dined on gourmet food, were examined by an honest physician, and even tutored in the literature of Balzac…