| New from Cumberland House Publishing: The Complete Public Enemy Almanac by William J. Helmer and Rick Mattix. Foreword by Rose Keefe. {See Page 2 for Testimonials from crime historians and more book info} The first detailed reference work on the gangster and outlaw era of the 1920s and 30s. Includes action-packed chronologies listing hundreds of events not found in other books, over 200 biographical entries on both infamous mobsters and bandits like Capone, Dillinger, and Bonnie and Clyde and now obscure but interesting figures such as "Midget" Fernekes, Basil "The Owl" Banghart, Jimmy Murray, and master bank robber Eddie Bentz. Other highlights include: Case studies of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the St. Louis "Egan's Rats" and Detroit's legendary "Purple Gang," Canadian bootlegger Rocco Perri, the Kansas City Massacre, the Barker-Karpis Gang, and revealing new information on the deaths of John Dillinger, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, and "Baby Face" Nelson. Essays and features on the origin of the Mafia and its frequent confusion with the "Black Hand" and Unione Siciliana, plus Tommygun history, the "Good Killers," the Castellammarese War, and "Murder, Inc." Colorful sidebars including memorable gangster and outlaw quotes, gun molls, "black widows," and "Kiss of Death girls," early experiments in body armor, goofy crime control measures, the horse that killed "Nails" Morton, and the origin of the Chicago Crime Commission and its "public enemy" list and body count of gangland murders. Interview with the man who gave Al Capone his famous scars. FBI lists of Chicago and Detroit gangsters. The wild and wooley corrupt gangland mecca of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The confession of Bonnie and Clyde accomplice W.D. Jones. The delirious deathbed ravings of Dutch Schultz. An annotated excerpt of the FBI's official chronology of La Cosa Nostra. A complete listing of federal agents and New York and Chicago police officers who died in the line of duty between 1920 and 1940. Crammed with hundreds of rare or previously unpublished photos, illustrations, and headlines, this is the ultimate reference work on the golden age of the American gangster, a period which saw revolutionary changes in both crime and law enforcement as well as society at large. Topped with a comprehensive annotated bibliography of both popular and scholarly works, a tremendous asset to researchers and collectors alike. This book is the product of years of intensive research into contemporary records and FBI files and corrects many popular misconceptions about the gangster era. |
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