Wiseguys Say The Darndest Things: The Quotable Mafia (The Complete Idiot's Guide) [Paperback]

Jerry Capeci (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Considering that they thrive on secrecy, mobsters have, over the years, proven themselves to be notorious gossips-even out-and-out blabbermouths. The fact is, mobsters DO say the darnedest things, and whether discussing business, women, food, death, sex, or "the life," you can always count on a mobster to spill it in an unintentionally funny, incredibly insightful, or simply terrifying way. With quotable quotes from both semi-literate stooges and the smoothest professionals who ever made headlines, this book speaks to the millions of people who are fascinated by the mob.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry Capeci is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the Mafia and organized crime. He covered the crime beat for both the New York Daily News and the New York Post (and was the only newspaperman to sneak his way into Carlo Gambino's funeral in 1976) for more than 20 years. He is the co-author of Murder Machine, the terrifying saga of Roy DeMeo's bloodthirsty Mafia crew, and Gotti: Rise & Fall.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592570836
• ISBN-13: 978-1592570836
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,208,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars capeci's done the legwork -- all you have to do is enjoy, August 18, 2004

By 

eastcoast 2pack - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wiseguys Say The Darndest Things: The Quotable Mafia (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

capeci must have combed through thousands of pages to gather this assortment of mafia quotes. it's hard to believe that they are all real! i never realized that mobsters could be so philosophical--or funny. some quotes even made me laugh out loud. this also makes a great gift for friends and family.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun; just one error, January 12, 2005

By 

"dave in milwaukee" (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wiseguys Say The Darndest Things: The Quotable Mafia (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

This book is great fun, and is loaded with many humorous and/or insightful quotes. I just want to point out one error: on Page 47, three quotes about the electric chair are incorrectly attributed to Bugsy Siegel. Bugsy Siegel was never sentenced to death (at least not by any court of law). He was shot to death by the mob in 1947 in Hollywood. The "Bugsy" who actually said the things quoted in the book was Martin "Buggsy" (spelled with two G's) Goldtsein, who went to the chair at Sing Sing in 1941. He was one of the Murder, Inc. hit men sold out by Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, who is mentioned in one of the quotes.

4.0 out of 5 stars Anotable misprint, or the wrong quote Credited to Bugsy Siegel, May 31, 2007

By 

K. R. Osborn "Big Oz" (Kansas City, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wiseguys Say The Darndest Things: The Quotable Mafia (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

In the chapter named "Death" there are two quotes credited to Benjamin Siegel that probably should have been credited to Louis "Little Lepke" Buchhalter. He was the only prohibition era gangster that was sentanced to the Electric Chair. Benny Siegel was killed in Virgina Hill's livingroom, as was noted in the Cast of characters at the end of the book. Somewhere the author or the proofreader slipped up on the job.