Christopher,

Hi, I just finished my PhD on the post-opening cultural history of the Brooklyn Bridge (University of Leeds, UK) before heading out here to NYC and there really isn't too much modern scholarship on Brodie.  The best thing around is John Hanners, 'The Man Who Jumped off The Brooklyn Bridge: Steve Brodie (1858 - 1901) And the Public / Private Persona,' 'The Mid-Atlantic Almanac,' vol. 4 (1995), pp. 88-95.  Brodie's also discussed somewhat in Luc Sante's 'Low Life' (New York: 1991).  The best of the older stuff is: Stanley Edgar Hyman, 'This Alluring Roadway,' 'New Yorker,' 17th May 1952 and Alvin F. Harlow's book 'Old Bowery Days: The Chronicles of a Famous Street (New York: 1931).  The newspaper accounts of the time make interesting and fun reading but conflict on numerous points, in fact, to the point where the whole thing seems ridiculous to begin with.  Surprisingly none none of the papers challenged Brodie's claim.  And rather oddly, most of the newspapers condemned Robert Odlum's fatal 1885 leap as enitirely irresponsible, yet celebrated Brodies's one year later.  To my mind this had to do with Brodie's contacts - his brother ran a restaurant much frequented by journalists and his best friend (Tom Brennan) was a well-connected printer - and the fact that a successful leap was just irresistible news.

Best wishes

Richard Haw

  [log in to unmask] wrote:

I can't seem to find a modern book or journal article with good research on Steve Brodie, the Brooklyn Bridge jumper who made a career out of his (putative) brave leap in 1886.  Am I missing something?  Or was this scam artist just too illusory for any factual account?

Christopher Gray
"Streetscapes" Columnist, Sunday Real Estate Section
The New York Times
office:  246 West 80th Street
New York City   10024
voice:  212-799-0520
fax:     212-799-0542
e:        [log in to unmask]