Flappers, diving horses and, yes, ladies and gentlemen, even Al Capone can be found in the 100-plus-page coffee-table book spanning the Roaring '20s as chronicled by local author and historian Karen L. Schnitzspahn.

Illustrations from 'The Roaring '20s at the Jersey Shore' reflect the popularity of shore beaches during the era of flappers and speakeasies. "The Roaring '20s at the Jersey Shore," published by Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pa., highlights the Jersey Shore's role during the age of Prohibition, speakeasies and bathing suits before the advent of the bikini.

Locals had a chance to hear the author speak about the book on June 11 at the Red Bank Public Library.

"I had been writing about history since the mid-'80s, and both my parents' families vacationed at the Jersey Shore during the '20s," Schnitzspahn said. "My parents actually played on the beaches of the Jersey Shore and met in Atlantic City, so the Jersey Shore at this time is special to me."

Schnitzspahn said the Roaring 20s was a time of contrasts.

"There were a lot of fun things going on and a lot of not-so-fun things, like the Ku Klux Klan," she said.

According to Schnitzspahn's research, the KKK "exerted a strong presence in New Jersey," drawing an estimated 7,000 members from all walks of life in Jersey Shore communities, and holding a tri-state Klonklave at Elkwood Park, which is now Monmouth Park racetrack in Oceanport.

"Historians know about the Ku Klux Klan's presence in New Jersey, but most people don't," Schnitzspahn said. "It only lasted for a short time, but it was very big. It seemed that many people were misguided with it and then came to their senses and left the Klan."

Conversely, the '20s was a time for women to advance in society. With the ratification of the 19th Amendment in August 1920, women let their hair down and then cut it all off.

"Women gained the right to vote, and styles were changing. It was a fascinating time," Schnitzspahn said. "Styles that women wore with straight lines were considered boyish; I guess they were going for more of a mannish look, just to give them identitywithmore freedom in their clothing."

Also popular at that time was the bob, a short haircut for women that was popularized by characters in novels like "The Great Gatsby." Clothing loosened up and corsets were a thing of the past as waistlines dropped and hemlines rose. These women were referred to as "flappers."

"Flappers were the new woman — the woman who was liberated and did a lot more things," she said. "Technological advances meant women were not always in the kitchen, and new appliances such as electrical housewares meant they could go out and about."

Schnitzspahn said that most of her family members who lived during the '20s have passed away, and while writing the book, she often found herself wishing she could ask them questions.

"My family that lived then are all dead now, and I wanted to preserve some of the stories I remember from my childhood," she said of her reasons for writing the book. "I wanted to do the book like it was a little ride along the coast, and illustrate the differences between now and then."

One of the major differences, Schnitzspahn said, was travel.

"Atlantic City was the place to go in the '20s. Of course, there was also Long Branch and Asbury Park, but Atlantic City was the place to go," she said. "Most places in between just weren't developed and were rather rustic."

In her book, Schnitzspahn points out the places where people stayed at the Jersey Shore during the Roaring 20s. "Remember, this was pre-motels," she said. "I grew up in the '50s, and there were motels by that time, but in the '20s there were large grand hotels in places like Atlantic City. It was kind of rustic elsewhere, and it wasn't until later that little motels and cottages popped up for lodging. Traveling was really pretty rustic along the Shore, and my father always said just to ride down to Atlantic City was an adventure."

Speaking of adventures, the era of Prohibition led to rumrunning, and speakeasies popped up all over the Jersey Shore, Schnitzspahn said.

"A lot of gangsters ran businesses in the '20s and hired locals to run the rumrunning lines off the coast," she said. "A lot of people were against Prohibition, and the government had a hard time enforcing it because so many didn't believe in it. There was a lot of dangerous stuff going on out on the water, and oftentimes the Coast Guard had to get involved."

Schnitzspahn explained that according to her research, ships from countries such as Cuba and Great Britain would wait along the "rum line," a line three miles off the AtlanticCoastwhere small boats would sneak out after dark to collect prohibited liquor from cargo ships.

"The legendary Capt. William McCoy, based in Florida, operated a big fleet of ships that would become known as 'Rum Row,' " Schnitzspahn states in her book. "His trusted cheer became known as the 'the real McCoy.' McCoy did get caught once off the coast of Sea Bright and served jail time in New Jersey."

Prohibition was repealed in 1933, and the sale of alcohol was once again permitted, much to the chagrin of bootleggers and moonshiners.

The same photos that detail bootlegging activity also highlight New Jersey's presence on the national front. Photos ranging from the first Miss America pageant in Atlantic City to the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank chronicle the Shore's dominance of the tourism market in the '20s.

"The Jersey Shore was the place to go, and air travel was just beginning, so people were not going to Florida or California just yet. So many people came here during this time that it was quite a busy place," Schnitzspahn said.

The Shore's popularity with vacationers seemed to wane toward the end of the decade as people began flying south and west with the advent of air travel.

Schnitzspahn said she wanted the scope of the book to focus on New Jersey's coastline.

"Basically, I stuck to the coast, going from Sandy Hook to Cape May, but I did get into the steamboats coming into Keyport and Matawan, because it was an interesting area and a lot of people stayed in resorts there," she said. "I tried to keep it mainly to the beaches on the coast. Each chapter is topical, and I wanted to work from the north to the south."

For Schnitzspahn, her quest to recapture the local scene during the Roaring 20s took her on a journey of its own.

"I enjoyed the research and finding the photos and going to different libraries and interviewing people," she said. "I absolutely loved going to the different towns and learning about them during the '20s."

As for how long such a labor of love could take, Schnitzspahn said she has been preparing for the book for years.

"I keep files from over the years, and I started saving stuff from the '20s for a long time, but it took about a year and a half to organize the book with all the photos and captions," she said.

"I met with private collectors and individuals, and went to libraries like the Atlantic City library, which has so much to offer about this time period. I even went to businesses and hotels that are still in existence, to get photos and hear their stories."

Among the glossy pages chock full of collected photos from years past are Schnitzspahn's retelling of stories of lively train rides to the Shore, the success of women's suffrage, and even "The Great Bambino" (Babe Ruth) himself is paid homage in the book.

Images of flappers, Klansmen and zeppelins take readers back to a time when rumrunners ran the risk of seizure by the U.S. Coast Guard — a raucous time that could only be heard as a roar.