From the Old West to Prohibition and beyond, gangsters brought vividly to life

Infamous gangsters brought vividly to life, from the Old West to Prohibition and beyond

The names of notorious Prohibition-era gangsters such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano still resonate today, but in this vivid history, Robb explores the fascinating lives of not only well-known mobsters like John Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde, but also those less familiar, from the lawless Old West to the likes of John Gotti, the ‘Teflon Don’, in 1980s’ New York.

While the focus is on that ever-popular icon of popular culture, the archetypal American gangster of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, the book’s reach is global, from the Kray twins in Sixties’ London to post-Soviet Russia, and from drug lords in Colombia to the Triads and Yakuza in the Far East.

The romanticised American gangster of the Prohibition era has proved an enduringly popular figure. Even today, names like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano still resonate. Robb explores the histories of key figures, from gangs in the Old West, through Prohibition and the Great Depression, to the likes of John Gotti and Frank Lucas in the 1970s and 1980s. He also looks at the gangster in popular culture, in hit TV series such as Boardwalk Empire.

Although the focus is strongly on the archetypal American gangster, Robb also examines gangsters around the world, including the infamous Kray twins in London, French crime kingpin Jacques Mesrine, the Mafia Dons of Sicily, and the rise of notorious Serbian and Albanian gangs. Infamous Australian outlaw Ned Kelly makes an appearance, as does Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, while other sections provide details of the Chinese Triads and the Yakuza in Japan.

Robb also explores the gangster in popular culture, especially in film and television. Recent hit TV series such as The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire and blockbuster movies like Public Enemies and Gangster Squad show that the gangster is here to stay.