author
George W. (George Washington) Matsell
1811–1877
Best known as New York City’s first police commissioner, he also left behind a vivid and unusual book of underworld slang. His writing offers a rare glimpse into crime, policing, and city life in mid-19th-century America.
1 Audiobook
Vocabulum; or The Rogue's Lexicon Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources
by George W. (George Washington) Matsell
About the author
Born in New York City in 1811, George Washington Matsell became an important figure in early American policing. He is generally remembered as the first New York City Police Commissioner, a role that placed him at the center of efforts to organize and modernize the city’s police force.
For audiobook listeners and readers, Matsell is especially interesting because he was also a writer. In 1859 he published Vocabulum; or, The Rogue's Lexicon, a dictionary of thieves’ slang and criminal cant compiled from contemporary sources. The book stands out as a fascinating record of the language of the streets and underworld, and it still attracts attention from readers interested in slang, crime history, and urban culture.
Matsell’s career also extended into publishing: he later became associated with the National Police Gazette, a paper focused on crime and sensational reporting. He died in Manhattan in 1877, but his name remains tied both to the history of New York policing and to one of the more curious reference books of the 19th century.