Black Hand, Tammany Hall, political scandals, mafias, cartels, and opium gangs. The Encyclopedia of Gangsters provides an encompassing look at organized crime around the world. More than just the Sicilian Mafia, who are celebrated by pop culture and often depicted on the silver screen in films such as the Godfather trilogy and Scarface, the world of gangsters spans the globe and has deep roots. The Encyclopedia of Gangsters is arranged both chronologically and geographically, highlighting the legendary figures, the famous heists and busts, and the stranglehold these organizations still exert today. Infamous characters like Al Capone, Carlo Gambino, John Gotti, Arnold Rothstein, Isadore Blumenfeld, Wah Ching, Sergei Mikhailov, and Phoolan Devi are profiled in this colorful and comprehensive collection.

In light of Los Angeles' gang state of emergency, ethnic and minority gangs are arguably more high profile now than at any other time in our history. News media typically focus on the crime and violence associated with gangs, but not much else. This encyclopedia seeks to illuminate the world of gangs, including gang formations, routine gang activities, aberrations and current developments. One hundred essay entries related to gangs in the United States and worldwide provide a diffuse overview of the gang phenomenon. Each entry defines and explains the term, provides an historical overview, and explains its significance today. As the following entries demonstrate, gangs are part of the fabric of American society. They are not only in our communities but also our schools and other social institutions. Understanding the world of gangs is therefore needed to understand American society. Entries include: Bikers, Bloods, Cholas, Crips, gang mythology, gang warfare, graffiti, Hell's Angels, Hong Kong Triads, Latin Kings, law enforcement, occultic gangs, mafia, media, prison gangs, rites, Skinheads, Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act, tattoos, trafficking, Wanna-bes, West Side Story, Witness Protection programs, and youth gangs.

The world of gangsters is big business and stretches way beyond the Sicilian Mafia who have been most often depicted on the silver screen in films such as the 'Godfather' trilogy and 'Scarface'. The book is arranged in chapters geographically showing the history of organized crime in different territories around the world, the legendary figures, the famous heists and busts and the power these organizations still exert today. As many of the crime syndicates are interlinked in their day-to-day dealings, or have origins in other organizations, the book is fully cross-referenced to help the reader. Chapters include The Sicilian Mafia and its development in coast-to-coast America under the guidance of the likes of Al Capone and ‘Bugsy’ Siegel; the gangsters of Marseilles and Paris; the Russian and other Eastern Bloc Mafia; the Triads of Asia; The Jamaican Yardies; the African/American crimelords that control the poorer areas of Los Angeles and New York; and the legendary London gangsters, typified by the Kray twins’ stranglehold on London during the 1960s.

A detailed compendium of American gangsters and gangs from the end of the Civil War to the present day. American Gangsters, Then and Now: An Encyclopedia ranges from Western outlaws revered as Robin Hoods to the Depression's flamboyant bootleggers and bank robbers to the late 20th century's drug kingpins and "Dapper Dons." It is the first comprehensive resource on the gangster's historical evolution and unshakable grip on the American imagination. American Gangsters, Then and Now tells the stories of a number of famous gangsters and gangs—Jesse James and Billy the Kid, the Black Hand, Al Capone, Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels, the Mafia, Crips and Bloods, and more. Avoiding sensationalism, the straightforward entries include biographical portraits and historical background for each subject, as well as accounts of infamous robberies, killings, and other events, all well documented with both archival newspapers and extensive research into the files of the FBI. Readers will understand the families, the places, and the times that produced these monumental criminals, as well as the public mindset that often found them sympathetic and heroic.

Master story teller Marc Mappen applies a generational perspective to the gangsters of the Prohibition era—men born in the quarter century span from 1880 to 1905—who came to power with the Eighteenth Amendment. On January 16, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution went into effect in the United States, “outlawing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.” A group of young criminals from immigrant backgrounds in cities around the nation stepped forward to disobey the law of the land in order to provide alcohol to thirsty Americans. Today the names of these young men—Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Dutch Schultz, Legs Diamond, Nucky Johnson—are more familiar than ever, thanks in part to such cable programs as Boardwalk Empire. Here, Mappen strips way the many myths and legends from television and movies to describe the lives these gangsters lived and the battles they fought. Placing their criminal activities within the context of the issues facing the nation, from the Great Depression, government crackdowns, and politics to sexual morality, immigration, and ethnicity, he also recounts what befell this villainous group as the decades unwound. Making use of FBI and other government files, trial transcripts, and the latest scholarship, the book provides a lively narrative of shootouts, car chases, courtroom clashes, wire tapping, and rub-outs in the roaring 1920s, the Depression of the 1930s, and beyond. Mappen asserts that Prohibition changed organized crime in America. Although their activities were mercenary and violent, and they often sought to kill one another, the Prohibition generation built partnerships, assigned territories, and negotiated treaties, however short lived. They were able to transform the loosely associated gangs of the pre-Prohibition era into sophisticated, complex syndicates. In doing so, they inspired an enduring icon—the gangster—in American popular culture and demonstrated the nation’s ideals of innovation and initiative. View a three minute video of Marc Mappen speaking about Prohibition Gangsters.

More than 500 alphabetical entries provide information on the people, places and events associated with the Mafia.