Bronx Gang The Reapers In "Life" Magazine, 1972

Ah, the good old days before the Internet. Where your information was meted out at an unbearably slow but digestible pace, at the will of the media outlets with the organizational power to publish. Still, the written word in those days was designed to be savoured and re-read, much like a hard copy of the Frank Book, actually. It was while I was reading one of our favorite blogs, Gwarizm, that Gary Warnett illuminated the gloriously archived old magazines now available on Google Books, which have lost none of their original enchantment. In particular, this excellent article in a 1972 issue of Life magazine on South Bronx gang The Reapers, who inspired the film The Warriors. Click through to The Reapers article in Life magazine here. The article starts on page 59, but I recommend scrolling through just to check out some of the stone-age advertising, fonts and clothing styles.