Web of the City
Encyclopedia
Web of the City is the first novel written by author Harlan Ellison
. The novel follows the story of Rusty Santoro, a teenage member of the fictional Cougars street gang in the 1950s Brooklyn
, New York
. In order to research the book, Ellison spent time in an actual street gang in Brooklyn.
. Before writing the novel, Ellison became a member of the Brooklyn gang The Barons under an assumed name. The gang's territory was in Red Hook
, considered to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn. He acted as war counselor for the gang for ten weeks before leaving.
After leaving the street gang, Ellison went to the Ranger Basic Training camp in Fort Benning, Georgia to begin his military service. The bulk of the novel was written during his spare time at the camp between the middle of 1956 to March 1957. Ellison has claimed he wrote most of it while sitting in the toilet with a board on his lap with his typewriter atop the board. The book was originally bought by Walter Fultz, an editor at the small independent publishing company Lion Books. The company went out of business before it could publish Web of the City, so the book was sold to Pyramid Books
. Pyramid changed the name to Rumble and published it in 1958 while Ellison was a Private in the army. The first Ellison knew of the title change was when he received a copy of the book (with other volumes) to review.
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
. The novel follows the story of Rusty Santoro, a teenage member of the fictional Cougars street gang in the 1950s Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In order to research the book, Ellison spent time in an actual street gang in Brooklyn.
Background
In 1957, Harlan Ellison decided to research and write a novel about the teenage street gangs of BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Before writing the novel, Ellison became a member of the Brooklyn gang The Barons under an assumed name. The gang's territory was in Red Hook
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
, considered to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn. He acted as war counselor for the gang for ten weeks before leaving.
After leaving the street gang, Ellison went to the Ranger Basic Training camp in Fort Benning, Georgia to begin his military service. The bulk of the novel was written during his spare time at the camp between the middle of 1956 to March 1957. Ellison has claimed he wrote most of it while sitting in the toilet with a board on his lap with his typewriter atop the board. The book was originally bought by Walter Fultz, an editor at the small independent publishing company Lion Books. The company went out of business before it could publish Web of the City, so the book was sold to Pyramid Books
Pyramid Books
Jove Books, formerly Pyramid Books, is a paperback publishing company, founded in 1949 by Almat Magazine Publishers . The company was sold to the Walter Reade Organization in the late 1960s. It was acquired in 1974 by Harcourt Brace which renamed it to Jove in 1977 and continued the line as an...
. Pyramid changed the name to Rumble and published it in 1958 while Ellison was a Private in the army. The first Ellison knew of the title change was when he received a copy of the book (with other volumes) to review.