Robbing Banks : An American History 1831-1999 [Hardcover]

L.r. Kirchner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2000

The establishment of banks in the land of "free enterprise" gave rise to a parallel profession that has always fascinated the public: the bank robber. A dangerous undertaking in any era, the world of bank robbing includes venal brutes, nefarious artists, cool daredevils, and just plain idiots doing anything to get to that free money. Robbing Banks, which covers heists from 1831 to the present day, depicts the history of bank robbing in all of its colorful-and occasionally grim-variety.America came to the forefront of world bank-robbing history because of its Wild West, where Jesse James and his gang of ex-Rebels became legends in their own time. The golden era of bank robbing occurred during the Great Depression, producing folk heroes such as "Pretty Boy" Floyd and Bonnie and Clyde. Meanwhile, gentlemen like Willie Sutton and Herman "the Baron" Lamm plied their trade with a degree of class that is remarkable for a criminal in any time period.Sprinkled between the legends are the failures, such as the Texas teenager who chose to rob his first bank just when the county sheriff's office had received its weekly payroll. A few lazy desperados have even attempted hold-ups at drive-through windows. Robbing Banks is a fascinating look at a criminal profession which, like the banking industry itself, has evolved with the times to meet every new challenge that has come along.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A journalist who formerly worked in law enforcement, Kirchner (Triple Crossfire) presents a colorful, comprehensive account of "the fine art of illegally removing capital from a financial institution," our peculiar fascination with some of the most notorious bank robbers and the technical realities of this crime from both sides of the law. In so doing, he offers many insights into such matters as the difference between burglary and robbery (the former relies on stealth and skill, the latter involves the face-to-face confrontations of popular myth) and the strange psychology of the bank-robbing personality. Though his tone can be stern, the author displays some ambivalence regarding both the "banking business" and and the efficacy of the penal system. As for the robbers, while he condemns amateur incompetence and the excessive violence displayed by figures like Clyde Barrow, he finds intriguing, on many levels, the ingenuity, discipline and insouciance displayed by successful, pioneering bandits, from the James gang to Willie Sutton, the famed "gentleman" robber of 1940s New York. For instance, the "common man," he says, often sided with the romanticized bandits, because of deep-seated class resentments against bankers and robber barons, particularly during Reconstruction and the Depression. J. Edgar Hoover's obsession at that time with outlaws like "Pretty Boy" Floyd proved influential in involving the federal government in bank-robbery prevention, signaling the twilight of old-style desperadoes. Kirchner concludes this solid, well-executed assessment with succinct depictions of post-modern larceny, including the current threats of computerized robbery via wire transfer, illustrating that the crafty and avaricious will forever strike, as Willie Sutton famously put it, "where the money is." 16 pages of illus.not seen by PW. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Americans have always regarded bank robbery differently than other crimes. The likes of the James Brothers in the so-called Wild West and Depression-era heisters Bonnie and Clyde attained folk-hero status. Intricate, elegant bank robbery schemes are a staple of popular movies and best-selling thrillers. Now Kirchner, a former law enforcement official, provides an entertaining and informative chronicle of more than 150 years of bank robbery in the U.S. He begins with an in-depth portrait of Frank and Jesse James to set the stage as he profiles other Old West-era desperadoes, contemporaries of Bonnie and Clyde, and modern-era burglars who relied more on brainpower than firepower. As he traces the evolution of bank theft, Kirchner also charts changes in bank security and law enforcement and considers the role of electronic banking and ATMs. He also takes an amusing look at some notable blundered attempts in the "fine art of removing capital from a financial institution." Appendixes include a chronology of banking and bank crime and a filmography of movies featuring bank robbers. David Rouse
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188511964X
• ISBN-13: 978-1885119643
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,618,463 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:

1.0 out of 5 stars Grossly inaccurate, July 3, 2006

By 

Sheldon McLaughlin (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robbing Banks : An American History 1831-1999 (Hardcover)

This book is rife with inaccuracies. Bonnie and Clyde were not killed May 23, 1935 but May 23, 1934. Clyde's head was not "unrecognizable". I've seen the autopsy photos and, he's a mess, but he still looks like Clyde. Two lawmen, not three, were killed by the Barrow gang April 6, 1934. There's no real evidence that Bonnie participated in the murders (the single eyewitness changed his story several times under police pressure). Bonnie's famous "cigar pose" was left behind after the Joplin shootout on April 13, 1933 so the photo isn't from 1934 as our author claims. And, the most glaring error, the Bonnie and Clyde ambush was arranged by Henry Methvin and his father Ivan, not W. D. Jones. These are the errors I found on one (!) page of a 229 page book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lack of knowledge and rewriting history., August 4, 2005

By 

Dave in Missouri (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robbing Banks : An American History 1831-1999 (Hardcover)

The author has a few shortcomings that compromise the entire work.

For one, when the subject requires specialized knowledge a good writer does enough research to learn his way around the technical details.

In this case the author clearly knows nothing about firearms, and didn't bother to find out about something so important and intimately connected to bank robbers.

On one hand he has Jessie James armed with a pair of "Springfield revolvers", and on the other has the Thompson Submachine gun being made by four or five companies and sold at Sears!

The biggest failure is the authors propensity for simply rewriting history with no attempt to document or explain his opinion.

He has a gang of southern bank robbers involved in a famous mass shootout in a southern city being murdered in broad daylight by the police.
In another case, he simply states that a wounded and helpless Baby Face Nelson was executed by Melvin Purvis on the direct order of J. Edgar Hoover.

30's icon and famous bank robber John Dillinger, who was roundly acknowledged by even his enemies as a crafty and smart criminal, is suddenly reduced to "not very smart", by a passing, off-hand comment.

Throughout the book the author makes numerous comments questioning the honesty of various law enforcement officers and agencies with no attempt to justify these back-handed slaps.
When $20,000 in bank loot is missing, the author basically says the FBI stole it.
No evidence, no official charges, no documentation nothing at all.

The author offers NOTHING in the way evidence or documentation on any of these issues, and simply does a major rewrite of history, based apparently on his personal opinion.

What this entire work comes across as, is nothing more than the author's poorly researched personal opinion based on no known information.
He simply presents his opinions and suppositions as hard fact.

While the story is interesting and there is a good amount of information, all of it is suspect due to the poor job of offering at least some documentation to back it up with.

In the end, this book can be read as an interesting story, but can't be taken in any way as fact or truth.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worthless, March 11, 2003

By 

Rick "Mad Dog" Mattix (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Robbing Banks : An American History 1831-1999 (Hardcover)

Okay, I'll allow this book one star for its photos. Factually, though, major errors abound throughout this poorly researched book and it's so unreliable that any information it contains is completely untrustworthy. Don't bother.