Organized crime reaches into almost every business worldwide, from the cleaning of restaurant tablecloths to the production of high-tech equipment; crime syndicates control entire neighborhoods, cities, and even nations. From its crude origins at the turn of the century to its present-day sophistication, organized crime has been marked by intimidation, corruption, and murder. World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime is an excursion into the underworld that uncovers the international scope—and historical roots—of today’s organized crime. Brilliantly catalogued by the dean of American true-crime writers, Jay Robert Nash, this volume profiles the notorious gangsters, crime families, cartels, and gangland events that have shaped world history.Here are gangs such as the Dead Rabbits and the Whyos, who controlled nineteenth-century New York; gangsters such as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Legs Diamond, and Dutch Schultz, who brought crime to new heights of money-making and bloodshed; and contemporary organizations such as the Medellín Cartel, the ”Pizza Connection” gangsters, the Yakuza gangs of Japan, and New York’s powerful Gambino family.With hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries, an international guide to organized crime, a rogue’s gallery, and an extensive bibliography, World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime is the most comprehensive and authoritative source on the subject ever compiled.
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Book Description
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
According to the CIP data, this latest offering from prolifi true crime compiler Nash is "condensed from the Encyclopedia of World Crime " ( LJ 8/90). While there is a smattering of information about foreign criminals and about events, this is primarily a biographical collection concerning American mobsters, the Mafia predominantly. The main section consists of articles, ranging from less than 100 words to a few pages, with see references to related articles. There are hundreds of photographs and a lengthy bibliography (although it would have been more useful if relevant citations had been included in the text). A separate section--20 percent of the book--has very brief listings arranged geographically. Nash has a rather lurid style, geared to the general reader, not the specialist. The coverage is extensive but uneven: figures long-dead get more attention, and why, for example, does Charles Birger, an obscure 1920s rural bootlegger, rate four times the space accorded current Mafia boss John Gotti? Despite weaknesses, this book is unique and is recommended for libraries with strong organized crime collections, although presumably it won't be needed by those that already own Encyclopedia of World Crime .
- Gregor A. Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Gregor A. Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Jay Robert Nash is widely recognized as the world’s foremost encyclopedist of crime, and has authored more than seventy single-volume and multi-volume reference works, including the Encyclopedia of World Crime.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
It's not about the World - just the U.S.,
By A Customer
This review is from: World Encyclopedia Of Organized Crime (Paperback)
Truth in advertising? This is solely about the U.S., with a very few token entries on people and place outside it. Nothing on the Triads, nothing on the Golden Triangle, nothing on Marseilles or Hong Kong, nothing on modern international gangs such as the Jamaicans or Nigerians, etc., etc. I returned my copy to Amazon in great disappointment. If you want biographies of some U.S. figures (only some: nothing on Harold Meltzer, for example) with ugly pictures, this might be of some use. But it's solely oriented to personalities, not to analysis
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well Done and well organized!,
By Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: World Encyclopedia Of Organized Crime (Paperback)
Trying to find a good reference book about organized crime? Want one at a good price? Jay Robert Nash has created the perfect book for you with World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime from De Capo Press.The over 600 pages of the Who's Who in organized crime is covered in an A to Z format. From Joe Adonis, Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugs Moran and so many others, you'll find the fascinating stories and cross-references. You may find other books more detailed, but I have found this book to be complete in the overall number of people covered. The book is an easy read and the index makes it easy to look up anybody or any topic. You'll be hard pressed to find a better value for your money. About the only thing missing is a cd-rom software application.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Error prone,
This review is from: World Encyclopedia Of Organized Crime (Paperback)
While its some feat to assemble this amount of information in one boopk, the author never actually goes out to check the accuracy of the data. This causes many factual mistakes to merge. Some are very basic, such as the statement that Jack McGurn was born in Chicago, rather than in Sicily. In a field like this, where errors are commonplace, you need a book that tries to get the truth about personalities and events if its not to be just another myth-spreader. This sadly isn't it.
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