Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States: From Capone's Chicago to the New Urban Underworld [Hardcover]

Robert J. Kelly (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313306532 | ISBN-13: 978-0313306532 | Publication Date: April 30, 2000

Typically, other reference works on organized crime in the United States focus primarily on the Mafia and La Cosa Nostra, and neglect the many new ethnic and racial criminal organizations that permeate American society today. This reference fills those gaps while providing systematic detailed coverage of traditional crime families, individuals, significant events, and terms. More than 250 entries provide in-depth information on major underworld figures, from Al Capone to John Gotti and Sammy "the Bull" Gravano, and key criminal events and milestones. In addition, Kelly, an expert on organized crime, provides in-depth coverage of African American organized crime, Chinese Triads and Tongs, the Colombian drug cartels' infiltration of the U.S., Dominican drug trafficking, ecocrime, Russian organized crime, Latin gangs and criminal groups, and Vietnamese American organized crime. Significant events (such as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre) and historical milestones (such as the Apaplachian Meeting) are interwoven with contemporary trends and facts about the new underworlds emerging in American cities. Entries include data on the backgrounds of important and infamous criminals, their nicknames, organizational structure, their criminal careers, and colorful details about their lives. Also included are definitions of key phrases and terms, such as "making your bones," and organization charts of traditional and new organized crime groups. Entries are placed in a social/historical context that clarifies their significance and enables the reader to appreciate the circumstances that shaped the criminal incidents and public response to them. This is the most comprehensive collection of current information on organized crime in the United States ever assembled in one volume and will be a valuable research tool for students and interested readers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this new reference source on the developmental history of organized crime in America, Kelly (Brooklyn Coll. Graduate Sch., CUNY) describes and analyzes issues, criminal personalities, and trends throughout the 20th century. Kelly also examines the conditions that produced criminal activities and organizations. More than 250 entries provide in-depth information on major underworld figures, from Al Capone to Lucky Luciano to John Gotti, as well as key criminal events, from rub outs to FBI stings. In addition, Kelly explores the Chinese Triads and Tongs, the Colombian drug cartel's penetration of the United States, Russian organized crime, and a variety of American street gangs such as the Crips and Bloods. The entries include suggested readings and are cross-referenced; the most important ones are accompanied by photographs or tables and figures. While not as thorough or well written as The Mafia Encyclopedia (LJ 4/1/99), this is a fine general source that covers a wider ethnic range. Recommended for public libraries.
-Tim Delaney, Canisius Coll., Buffalo
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Promoted as "the most comprehensive collection of historical information ever gathered into one source," History Resource Center: U.S. (HRC ) consists of four types of materials--images, periodicals, primary materials, and reference sources.From Yale University, Gale has collected 30 digitized maps. More than 2,000 photographs and illustrations also contribute to the images portion. The full-text journal title list consists of 58 periodicals, with the oldest back file being January 1996. There are citations from another 180 selected journals found in Arts and Humanities Citation Index.Primary materials consist of approximately 1,000 historical documents, such as letters, speeches, legislative acts, memoirs, narratives, and proclamations. Many include a page-by-page portable document format (PDF) image of the original document. The reference section contains 12 reference sources, including the Scribner standards Dictionary of American History and Dictionary of American Biography, along with their supplements. Among others are Gale's American Eras and Worldmark Chronology of the Nations , as well as Scribner's Encyclopedia of American Social History.HRC' s interface avoids extensive use of graphics. Load time is quick. Once loaded, the default search page presents a simple, uncluttered screen. Besides a text-entry box and a search button, the user can limit keyword searches by selecting either All the Words, Any of the Words, or Exact Phrase, as well as using Boolean operators.Besides keyword, other search options are Chronology, Custom, Person, Subject, and Time Period. Custom offers the most choices, some of the more useful being Full Text, Subject, Time Period, Title/Headline, and Source. A helpful tool is the pop-down Document Type box. Users can select from 14 types of documents, including images, maps, periodicals, primary documents, and topic overviews. Though it is available only on Custom Search, it might be helpful to have Document Type added to the default search screen. Selecting Person Search displays another powerful search screen. Besides a box to enter a person's name, the searcher can choose from either Name Contains (default) or Start of Name. Profession, Nationality, and Ethnicity are among additional search limits. In Subject Search, search terms are matched to words in any order within a list of subject headings. Users can choose View Results or in some cases View Hierarchy, which displays three possible options--Broader Terms, Related Terms, and/or Narrower Terms. The remaining two search options, Time Period and Chronology, are somewhat similar. Time Period allows the user to search by year, range of years, or decades. Chronology utilizes a time line to identify important events in American history. After conducting a search using one of the available search options, the user can print, download, or, except in the case of primary documents, e-mail the information. Search results are efficiently listed under four categories--reference materials, full-text journals, primary sources, and journal citations. A tab format makes moving from one category to another fast and easy. Title, source, and document type are displayed for each result. Citations for reference materials and primary sources are ranked by relevancy, and journal results are organized by date. One weak spot is the lack of a citation search option for full-text periodicals. Adding a keyword citation search would give researchers another way to retrieve relevant periodical articles. HRC offers other features. "Spotlight on . . ." consists of an overview article on an event from U.S. history. One of the more interesting features is the Digital Forum; users can join in an online discussion of topics related to American history. Online help, although not context sensitive, is detailed and well organized. HRC' s collection of reference materials, primary documents, journal articles, and images makes it, at the present time, unique. It is a work in progress, and additions are planned for the near future. Online access to popular history sources such as The Dictio nary of American History and American Eras, plus easy access to 1,000 primary documents, should help to make this resource popular among high-school and undergraduate students. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (April 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313306532
• ISBN-13: 978-0313306532
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #900,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Really An Encycolopedia, June 8, 2006

By 

Mark Schweizer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States: From Capone's Chicago to the New Urban Underworld (Hardcover)

I went and picked up this book from the local library thinking I would browse through it and then decide whether or not to buy. Glad I did this as anybody would be foolish to shell out $75 dollars for this book.

It does have its bright spots. A lot of good reference material, outlines of the familes and groups and short bios of different criminals over the years. It was a usualful took in remembering where different people fit and allowed for easily and quick access to a variety of topics.

However, the material is than less than exciting in reference to other crome books. While it covers a ton of mobsters I was suprised that it didn't include one my favorite characters, Roy Demeo. There were limited pictures in the book espically for what you expected for one as highly priced.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor value for the cost and the limited information., May 6, 2006

By 

S. Diamond "book addict" (Oak Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States: From Capone's Chicago to the New Urban Underworld (Hardcover)

First, this book is not "encyclopedia" in size in terms of either pages or dimensions. After the introduction, acronyms and time line the reader will find 328 pages of information, followed by a limited bibliography and a detailed index. The body of the book largely consists of biographies of deceased mob bosses and henchmen, which are available in more detail in Robert Jay Nash's less expensive reference books on organized crime. The limited unique information available here, and not found elsewhere, would not justify the cost of $75 to most true crime buffs.

5.0 out of 5 stars classic mobster book, November 25, 2010

By 

Robert J. Kelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States: From Capone's Chicago to the New Urban Underworld (Hardcover)

In the compass of 385 pages, Kelly provides a succinct picture of organized crime in the United States during the past century. His portrait of Al Capone is a highlight of the narrative and includes materials often excluded from standard texts.

The work provides a look at the milieux in which crime breeds and is a must have for any scholar, student or for those involved in criminal justice in general. I found it an excellent read.

While the price is unfortunately too high, I highly recommend this book. I have purchased several copies and given them to friends who are interested in this era of american history and all have greatly enjoyed the book as well.