While colloquially referred to Washington, DC or simply DC, the formal name for our capital city is the District of Columbia. How did this come about? As Dickey (The Rough Guide to Washington, DC) explains, a city of Washington existed from 1802 until Congress abolished it in 1871 and consolidated it into the District of Columbia. The author focuses on that old city, which was little more than a swampy, small town few could wait to flee when Congress was not in session. Dickey brings the place to life, relating how it came to be the national capital and how it looked, felt, and functioned. His 11 chapters identify the area's early movers and shakers, touring from the 1790s to the 1870s to reimagine a city in formation. It was no urban showplace or splendid citadel but a raucous, ramshackle collection of chaotic markets complete with slave depots, taverns, bordellos, and gambling houses set among streets that were often caked with mud owing to the persistent damp. VERDICT An entertaining story for local history enthusiasts or general readers eager to peek into the curiosities and scandals in the less-than-reputable past of the now glittering capital. —Thomas J. Davis, Arizona State Univ., Tempe