Arnold Rothstein (1882–1928) was described in the newspapers of the 1920s as "a sportsman," "a gambler," and "the man who fixed the 1919 World Series." But he was much more than that. A bootlegger and labor racketeer, he corrupted politicians, promoted crooked stock sales, and imported narcotics. And, perhaps most importantly, he transformed organized crime from a thuggish activity practiced by hoodlums into a big business, run like a corporation, with himself at the top. For twenty years, the name of Arnold Rothstein symbolized money—big-time money, gambling money, racket money, illegal money, millions upon millions of dollars. His share was ninety percent of any deal; he was never indicted for a single crime; he always won at cards and horses. And, despite his involvement in dozens of murders and hundreds of other crimes, his luck never ran out. At least not until 1928, the year in which he was fatally shot. The perpetrators—and Rothstein's millions—were never found. The Big Bankroll is the definitive biography of the man known simply as Mr. Big. In it, Leo Katcher reveals not only sordid details of the life of America's most powerful gambler, but illuminates the whole era in which crime became king.
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Rothstein was a leading underworld figure in the early 1900s and is best remembered as the man who fixed the 1919 World Series. This volume by Katcher, a veteran news reporter during Rothstein's reign as top mob boss, originally published in 1959, offers a portrait of the man and his times.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Leo Katcher was a reporter for the New York Times during Rothstein's reign, and spent ten years researching this book, interviewing Lucky Luciano, Carolyn Behar (Rothstein's widow), and dozens of others.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The grandfather of modern gangsters,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Big Bankroll: The Life And Times Of Arnold Rothstein (Paperback)
Siegel, Lansky, and Luciano: all recognizable names. Rothstein, far less recognizable and a generation or so older, was their mentor.The book is the definitive account of Rothstein's fairly short life. I believe it serves as the source for most books that deal with him. An enjoyable read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Big Bankroll,
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This review is from: The Big Bankroll: The Life And Times Of Arnold Rothstein (Paperback)
The Big Bankroll is a very good read about the life and times of Arnold Rothstein who set the stage for the likes of Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello. Rothstein had a lot of "smarts" and never was convicted of a crime, even being involved with the heavy financing of narcotics toward the end of his career. He was killed, at age 46, subsequent to a big poker game where he was a heavy loser and hadn't paid off because the rumor was out that the game was fixed in order to fleece him. According to gambling author, John Scarne, who performed card tricks for Rothstein and his friends, this was indeed the case.Get the book...I think you will like it.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ole Arnold,
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This review is from: The Big Bankroll: The Life And Times Of Arnold Rothstein (Paperback)
The book was cool it portrayed Rothstein as a 'gambler' rather than a gangster..unlike Boardwalk Empire...Given the fact that the author lived during Rothstein reign...one believes the author's account of Rothstein.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
At 10:53 P.M., Sunday, November 4, 1928, the desk sergeant at the old West Forty-seventh Street station house in New York, received a call from a police box informing him of a shooting. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bond thefts, dope traffic, walking delegate, other gamblers, big feller, bucket shops, gambling places Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Arnold Rothstein, United States, Tammany Hall, Big Tim, Nicky Arnstein, Tim Sullivan, Tom Foley, Wall Street, Carolyn Rothstein, Frank Costello, Sid Stajer, Sporting Blood, The System, East Side, Jimmy Hines, Liberty Bonds, Sing Sing, World Series, Abraham Rothstein, Long Island, Monk Eastman, Herbert Bayard Swope, New Jersey, San Francisco New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
At 10:53 P.M., Sunday, November 4, 1928, the desk sergeant at the old West Forty-seventh Street station house in New York, received a call from a police box informing him of a shooting. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bond thefts, dope traffic, walking delegate, other gamblers, big feller, bucket shops, gambling places Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Arnold Rothstein, United States, Tammany Hall, Big Tim, Nicky Arnstein, Tim Sullivan, Tom Foley, Wall Street, Carolyn Rothstein, Frank Costello, Sid Stajer, Sporting Blood, The System, East Side, Jimmy Hines, Liberty Bonds, Sing Sing, World Series, Abraham Rothstein, Long Island, Monk Eastman, Herbert Bayard Swope, New Jersey, San Francisco New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 38
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14
books
cite this book:
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- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald on page 8, page 349, and Back Matter
- Great Gatsby (Penguin Longman Reader Level 5) by Fitzgerald F Scott on page 8, page 349, and Back Matter
- Great Gatsby (Everyman Classics) by F Scott Fitzgerald on page 8, page 349, and Back Matter
- The Great Gatsby (Textplus) by Francis Scott Fitzgerald on page 8, page 349, and Back Matter
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald on page 8, page 349, and Back Matter
See all 38 books this book cites
- The Criminal Elite: Professional and Organized Crime (Contributions in Criminology and Penology) by Howard Abadinsky on page 89, and Back Matter
- King of the Jews by Nick Tosches on page 136, and page 197
- Jazz Age Jews by Michael Alexander in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- But He Was Good to His Mother : The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters by Robert A. Rockaway in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish-American Gangster by T. J. English in Back Matter
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