"A treasure trove for true crime buffs and mob aficionados—the mug shots alone are worth the price of admission." —Nicholas Pileggi, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Wiseguy
Foreword by Sam Giancana
Some time in the early 1960s, during the golden age of organized crime in America—the era that would inspire The Godfather, Goodfellas, and even The Sopranos—federal investigators pulled every known piece of information on more than 800 Mafia members worldwide into a thick, phone-book-sized directory. From old-school gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Mickey Cohen to young turks like Paul Castellano and Vinny "The Chin" Gigante, the guide offered at-a-glance profiles of small-time thugs and major dons alike . . . and was allegedly the book Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy used to investigate the mob.
Recently discovered, and published for the first time in this facsimile edition, Mafia is a treasure trove of info on the underworld in mid-century America—a revelatory artifact and an irresistible read.
"Fascinating . . . A panoramic view of the American underworld—the national face seen in a fun house mirror." —The New York Times Book Review
"For mobheads and true crime fanatics, [Mafia] is the equivalent of a hijacked truck of unmarked bills. It's also a quirky little slice of the American dream." —Salon.com
"Make room on your true-crime bookshelf for this veritable high school yearbook of America's criminal class." —T. J. English, New York Times–bestselling author of Born to Kill
"Mafia is the Bible for Mafia-watchers and amateur detectives everywhere." —Legs McNeil, coauthor of Please Kill Me