The American Mafia

Organized Crime
Bibliography

A collection of published resources for the study of organized crime is shown below. All of the titles have contributed in some way to the ideas and information provided on The American Mafia website. Titles are separated into categories for Books, Articles and Movies. Items containing significant primary source material are indicated with an asterisk next to the author name.

B O O K S

Author

Title of Work

City

Publisher

Year

Albini, Joseph The American Mafia: Genesis of a Legend New York Appleton-Century-Crofts 1971
Allen, Oliver E. The Tiger: The Rise and Fall of Tammany Hall New York Addison-Wesley Publishing Company 1993
Anbinder, Tyler Five Points: The Nineteenth-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections and Became the Worlds Most Notorious Slum New York The Free Press 2001
Arlacchi, Pino Men of Dishonor: Inside the Sicilian Mafia New York William Morrow & Company, Inc. 1992
Asbury, Herbert The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld Garden City, NY Garden City Publishing Co. 1938
Asbury, Herbert The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld New York Thunder's Mouth Press 1986
Asbury, Herbert The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld New York Alfred A. Knopf 1928
Balsamo, William and Carpozi, George Under the Clock: The Inside Story of the Mafia's First Hundred Years Far Hills, NJ New Horizon Press 1988
Barzini, Luigi From Caesar to the Mafia: Persons, Places and Problems in Italian Life New York The Library Press 1971
Barzini, Luigi The Italians New York Atheneum 1964
Binder, John J. The Chicago Outfit Chicago Arcadia 2003
Blumenthal, Ralph Last Days of the Sicilians New York Random House 1988
Bonanno, Bill * Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story New York St. Martin's Press 1999
Bonanno, Joseph (with Sergio Lalli)* A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno New York Simon and Schuster 1983
Brennan, Bill The Frank Costello story;: The true story of the underworld's prime minister Derby, CT Monarch Books, Inc. 1962
Catania, Enzo Mafia New York St. Martin's Press 1978
Catanzaro, Raimondo Men of Respect New York The Free Press 1988
Chandler, David Brothers in Blood: The Rise of the Criminal Brotherhoods New York Dutton 1975
Cook, Fred J. Mafia! Greenwich, CT Fawcett Publications, Inc. 1973
Cook, Fred J. The Pinkertons, Garden City, NY Doubleday & Company 1974
Cressey, Donald R. Theft of the Nation: The Structure and Operations of Organized Crime in America New York Harper & Row 1969
Crittle, Simon The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino New York Berkley Books 2006
Davis, John H. Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family New York Harper Torch 1994
Davis, John H. Mafia Kingfish: Carlos Marcello and the Assassination of John F. Kennedy New York McGraw-Hill Publishing Company 1989
Demaris, Ovid Captive City: Chicago in Chains. New York Lyle Stuart, Inc. 1969
Demaris, Ovid The Last Mafioso New York Bantam Books 1981
Dickie, John Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia New York Palgrave MacMillan 2004
Downey, Patrick Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935 Fort Lee, NJ Barricade 2004
Dubro, James Mob Rule Inside the Canadian Mafia Toronto Macmillan of Canada 1985
English, T.J. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster New York Regan Books, Harper Collins 2005
English, T.J. The Westies New York G.P. Putnam's Sons 1990
Feder, Sid and Joesten, Joachim The Luciano Story New York David McKay Corporation 1954
Federal Bureau of Investigation MAFIA Monograph based on a memo dated July 9, 1958, from W.C. Sullivan to A.H. Belmont     1958
Fentress, James Rebels and Mafiosi: Death in a Sicilian Landscape Ithaca, NY Cornell University Press 2000
Fiaschetti, Michael* The man they couldn't escape;: The adventures of detective Fiaschetti of the Italian squad, London Selwyn and Blount 1928
Foreman, Laura (editor) True Crime: Mafia New York Time-Life Books 1993
Fowler, Gene Beau James: The Life and Times of Jimmy Walker New York Viking Press 1949
Fox, Stephen Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth Century America New York William Morrow and Co., Inc. 1989
Gage, Nicholas The Mafia is not an Equal Opportunity Employer New York McGraw-Hill Book Company 1971
Gage, Nicholas (editor) Mafia, U.S.A. Chicago Playboy Press 1972
Gambino, Richard Vendetta Garden City, NY Doubleday & Co. 1977
Gentile, Nick* Vita di Capomafia Rome Editori Riuniti 1963
Gentile, Nick* Vita di Capomafia Rome Crescenzi Allendorf 1993
Gentry, Curt J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets New York W.W. Norton and Company 1991
Giancana, Sam and Chuck Double Cross New York Warner Books, Inc. 1992
Goddard, Donald Joey: A Biography New York Harper & Row 1974
Gosch, Richard and Hammer, Richard* The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano Boston Little, Brown and Company 1975
Hamill, Pete Why Sinatra Matters   Back Bay Books 2003
Hammer, Richard Playboy's Illustrated History of Organized Crime Chicago Playboy Press 1975
Heckethorn, Charles William Secret Societies of All Ages and Countries Whitefish, MT Kessinger Publishing Reprint of 1897 edition
Hess, Henner (transl. by Ewald Osers) Mafia & Mafiosi: Origin, Power and Myth New York New York University Press 1996
Hoffa, James R.* The Trials of Jimmy Hoffa Chicago Henry Regnery Company 1970
Horan, James D. The Pinkertons: The Detective Dynasty that Made History New York Bonanza Books 1967
Horan, James D. and Swiggett, Howard The Pinkerton Story London William Heinemann Ltd. 1952
Hunt, Thomas and Sheldon, Martha Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia   iUniverse, Inc. 2006
Jeffers, H. Paul The Napoleon of New York: Mayor Fiorello La Guardia New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2002
Katcher, Leo The Big Bankroll: The Life and Times of Arnold Rothstein New York Harper & Brothers 1959
Katz, Leonard Uncle Frank: The Biography of Frank Costello New York Drake Publishers, Inc. 1973
Katzenbach, Nicholas (chairman) President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice: The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office 1967
Kefauver, Estes* Crime in America Garden City, NY Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1951
Kennedy, Robert F.* The Enemy Within New York Harper & Brothers 1960
Lacy, Robert Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life Boston Little, Brown and Company 1991
Lamothe, Leon and Nicaso, Antonio Bloodlines: The Rise and Fall of the Mafia's Royal Family Toronto HarperCollins 2001
Lewis, Norman The Honored Society New York G.P.Putnam's Sons 1964
Maclean, Don Don Maclean's Pictorial History of the Mafia New York Galahad Books 1974
Maas, Peter The Valachi Papers New York Pocket Books 1986
Maas, Peter Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia New York Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. 1997
Maclean, Don Pictorial History of the Mafia New York Galahad Books 1974
Maxwell, Gavin Bandit New York Harper & Brothers 1956
McClellan, John L. Crime Without Punishment Toronto Popular Library 1963
McPhaul, Jack Johnny Torrio: First of the Gang Lords New Rochelle, NY Arlington House 1970
Messick, Hank Lansky New York Berkley Publishing Company 1971
Messick, Hank and Goldblatt, Burt The Mobs and the Mafia: The Illustrated History of Organized Crime New York Ballantine Books, Inc. 1972
Mitgang, Herbert Once Upon a Time in New York New York The Free Press 2000
Morello, Celeste A. Before Bruno: The History of the Philadelphia Mafia: Book 1 - 1880-1931 Philadelphia, PA Jefferies & Manz 2000
Morello, Celeste A. Before Bruno: The History of the Philadelphia Mafia: Book 2 - 1931-1946 Philadelphia, PA Jefferies & Manz 2001
Mori, Cesare* The Last Struggle with the Mafia London Putnam 1933
Nelli, Humbert S. The Business of Crime Chicago University of Chicago Press 1976
O'Brien, Joseph F. and Kurins, Andris* Boss of Bosses: The Fall of the Godfather: The FBI and Paul Castellano New York Simon & Schuster 1991
O'Neill, Gerard and Lehr, Dick The Underboss New York St. Martin's Press 1989
Petacco, Arrigo Joe Petrosino New York Macmillan Publishing Company 1974
Petro, Sylvester Power Unlimited - The Corruption of Union Leadership New York The Ronald Press Company 1959
Peterson, Virgil Barbarians in Our Midst Boston Little, Brown & Co. 1952
Peterson, Virgil The Mob: 200 Years of Organized Crime Ottawa, Illinois Green Hill Publishers 1983
Pietrusza, David Rothstein: The Life, Times and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series New York Carroll & Graf Publishers 2003
Pileggi, Nicholas Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family New York Simon & Schuster 1985
Pistone, Joseph D.* Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia New York New American Library 1987
Pitkin, Thomas Monroe and Cordasco, Francesco The Black Hand: A Chapter in Ethnic Crime Totowa, NJ Littlefield, Adams & Co. 1977
Plate, Thomas The Mafia at War New York The New York Magazine Press 1972
Porello, Rick Superthief Novelty Ohio Next Hat Press 2006
Porello, Rick The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia: Corn Sugar and Blood Fort Lee, NJ Barricade Books 1995
Reid, Ed MAFIA New York Random House 1952
Reid, Ed The Grim Reapers: The Anatomy of Organized Crime in America Chicago Henry Regnery Company 1969
Reid, Ed The Shame of New York New York Random House 1953
Repetto, Thomas American Mafia: A History of its Rise to Power New York Henry Holt and Company 2004
Roemer, William F.* Man Against the Mob   Dutton Adult 1989
Romano, Salvatore F. Storia Della Mafia Italy Arnoldo Mondadori Editore 1966
Salerno, Ralph and Tompkins, John S. The Crime Confederation New York Popular Library 1969
Schiavo, Giovanni The Truth About the Mafia and Organized Crime in America El Paso, TX The Vigo Press 1962
Serao, E. (translated by Baron Bernardo Quaranta di San Severino) King of the Camorra (historical fiction) New York G.W. Dillingham Company 1912
Scott, Peter Dale Deep Politics and the Death of JFK Berkeley University of California Press 1993
Selvaggi, Giuseppe The Rise of the Mafia in New York, translated from La Mia Tomba E New York Indianapolis/New York The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1978
Servadio, Gaia Mafioso: A History of the Mafia New York Stein and Day 1976
Servadio, Gaia To a Different World: In the Land of the Mafia London Hamish Hamilton 1979
Short, Martin Crime Inc.: The Story of Organised Crime London Arrow Books Ltd. 1997
Smith, Greg B. Made Men New York Berkley Books 2003
Sondern, Frederick Brotherhood of Evil: The Mafia New York Farrar, Straus and Cudahy 1959
Sterling, Claire Octopus: The Long Reach of the International Sicilian Mafia New York W.W. Norton & Company, New York 1990
Theresa, Vincent* My Life in the Mafia Garden City, New York Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1973
Thompson, Craig and Allen, Raymond Gang Rule in New York: The Story of a Lawless Era New York The Dial Press 1940
Turkus, Burton, and Feder, Sid* Murder Inc. New York Da Capo Press 1992
Walsh, George Gentleman Jimmy Walker: Mayor of the Jazz Age New York Praeger 1974
Wolf, George (with Joseph DiMona) Frank Costello: Prime Minister of the Underworld New York William Morrow & Company, Inc. 1974

A R T I C L E S
Coxe, John E. "The New Orleans Mafia Incident" The Louisiana Historical Quarterly New Orleans, La. The Louisiana Historical Society Vol. 20, No. 4, October 1937
Davis, J. Richard "Dixie"* "Things I Couldn't Tell Till Now" Collier's Springfield, Ohio The Crowell-Collier Publishing Co. 6 parts: July 22, 1939, through Aug. 26, 1939
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Secrets Revealed: The Barrel Murder Mystery Solved" The Fort Wayne Sentinel Fort Wayne, Indiana   May 2, 1914
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Inner Secrets Laid Bare: On the Trail of Lupo the Wolf and Morello" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   May 3, 1914, p. 8
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Inner Secrets Laid Bare: Confession of 'Comito,' Tool of the Black Hand" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   May 10, 1914
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Inner Secrets Laid Bare: In the Grip of the Black Hand" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   May 17, 1914
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Inner Secrets Laid Bare: Black Hand Seeks to Throttle the Law" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   May 31, 1914
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Inner Secrets Laid Bare: The Long Arm of the Black Hand" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   June 7, 1914
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Inner Secrets Laid Bare: The Black Hand's Covenant With Death" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   June 14, 1914, p. 5
Flynn, William J.* (chief of U.S. Secret Service) "Black Hand Inner Secrets Laid Bare: Inner Workings of the Black Hand" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   June 21, 1914
Kendall, John S. "Who Killa de Chief?" Louisiana Historical Quarterly New Orleans, La The Louisiana Historical Society Vol. 22, No. 2, 1939.
Kurtz, Michael L. "Organized Crime in Louisiana History: Myth and Reality" Louisiana History New Orleans Louisiana Historical Association Fall 1983, Vol. XXIV, No. 4
Lubasch, Arnold H. "U.S. Indictment Says 9 Governed New York Mafia" New York Times New York   Feb. 27, 1985, p.1
Monti, Luigi "The Mafiusi of Sicily" The Atlantic Monthly     Jan. 1876, p. 58-75.
Parkhurst, A.R. Jr. "The Perils of Petrosino: How the Black Hand Gained a Foothold in America" Washington Post (obtained from N.Y. Herald) Washington, D.C.   July 12, 1914, p. 6
Penn, Stanley "Alleged Heads of Mafia Groups Charged by U.S." Wall Street Journal New York   Feb. 27, 1985, p.3
Powell, Stewart, et.al. "Busting the Mob" U.S. News & World Report     Feb. 3, 1986, p.24
Shain, Michael and Larry Nathanson "Beginning of the End for the Mob" New York Post New York   Feb. 26, 1985, p.17
Simons, Mary and Daniele Billitteri "A Wounded Mafia" LIFE New York   March 1985, p.28
White, Frank Marshall "The Black hand in Control in Italian New York" The Outlook New York   Aug. 16, 1913, pp. 857-865.
  "Bad-Money Passers Raided" Washington Post Washington, D.C.   Nov. 16, 1909, p.4
  "Confession May Clear 23 Feud Murders" New York Times New York   Nov. 28, 1917, p.6
  "Great Trials of History: Trial of the Mafia" The Atlanta Constitution Atlanta, Ga.   Feb. 18, 1914, p. 4
  "Lupo the Wolf, Caged, Still Fights the Secret Service" Washington Post Sunday Magazine Washington, D.C.   July 7, 1912, p. 1
  "Old-style Mafia and Its Heirs" LIFE New York   Feb. 23, 1959, p.19-26
  "Organized Assassination: America's Latest Experience of the Sicilian Mafia and Neapolitan Camorra" The Illustated American New York   Nov. 8, 1890
  "The Dreaded Mafia" The Chillicothe Constitution Missouri   Nov. 22, 1890
  "The Mafia in New Orleans: The Italian Consul Admits the Society's Existence" New York Times New York   March 17, 1891, p. 1
  "The Mafia on its Own Soil" New York Times New York   April 27, 1891

M O V I E S

Director

Title

Format

Distributor

Year

Meyer, Nicholas Vendetta DVD HBO Home Video 1999
Meyer, Nicholas Vendetta VHS HBO Home Video 1999
Poulette, Michel Bonanno: A Godfather's Story: The Complete Saga 2-DVD Alliance Atlantis 1998
Poulette, Michel Bonanno: A Godfather's Story VHS Artisan Home Entertainment 1998
Wendkos, Paul Honor Thy Father DVD Diamond Entertainment 1973
  Mafia: The Inside Story 5-DVD Madacy Entertainment Group, Inc. 2001
 
* - Items marked with an asterisk contain primary source material.