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Public Enemies: America's Criminal Past, 1919-1940
Details the legendary criminals that roamed the country during the 1920s and 1930s and their counterparts in law enforcement, dispels many of the myths about America's most infamous criminals, and charts the rise of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Simultaneous.
- GenresHistoryTrue Crime
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1998
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
William J. Helmer
16 books6 followersPERSONAL INFORMATION
Family: Born March 6, 1936, in Iowa City, IA to Albert Joseph and Myrtle (Curl) Helmer; He left Iowa City before age one, grew up in the Mexican border town of Pharr, TX, and prefers to celebrate March 6 as one hundred years to the day after the Fall of the Alamo.) He married Pat Thompson, September, 1958 (divorced, 1966); married Jean Brockman (a free-lance illustrator), August 6, 1971; Children: Marc & Jan; Granddaughter Jessie.
Education: University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Journalism, 1959, MA in History, 1968.
Politics: "Formerly an FDR Democrat turned fanatically moderate libertarian."
Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Naval Reserve, 1953-61; became Radioman First Class.
Memberships: Amateur Radio operator W5AJR (retired), Discordian Society, Bavarian Illuminati. Founding Member of The John Dillinger Died for You Society.
Residence: Currently lives in Boerne, TX.
CAREER
Editor of the following:The Texas Caver, The Texas Ranger, Escapade, Aramco World, True West,1955-1995
University of Texas at Austin: Supervisor of Student Magazines, 1965-66
National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence: Staff Member, Washington, DC, 1968-69
Playboy (in Chicago): Senior Editor, 1969-1995.
Harper's, Texas Observer, Texas Monthly, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Reader, other magazines, 1955-present:Contributor of articles (including humor, under pseudonym Horace Naismith)
Family: Born March 6, 1936, in Iowa City, IA to Albert Joseph and Myrtle (Curl) Helmer; He left Iowa City before age one, grew up in the Mexican border town of Pharr, TX, and prefers to celebrate March 6 as one hundred years to the day after the Fall of the Alamo.) He married Pat Thompson, September, 1958 (divorced, 1966); married Jean Brockman (a free-lance illustrator), August 6, 1971; Children: Marc & Jan; Granddaughter Jessie.
Education: University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Journalism, 1959, MA in History, 1968.
Politics: "Formerly an FDR Democrat turned fanatically moderate libertarian."
Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Naval Reserve, 1953-61; became Radioman First Class.
Memberships: Amateur Radio operator W5AJR (retired), Discordian Society, Bavarian Illuminati. Founding Member of The John Dillinger Died for You Society.
Residence: Currently lives in Boerne, TX.
CAREER
Editor of the following:The Texas Caver, The Texas Ranger, Escapade, Aramco World, True West,1955-1995
University of Texas at Austin: Supervisor of Student Magazines, 1965-66
National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence: Staff Member, Washington, DC, 1968-69
Playboy (in Chicago): Senior Editor, 1969-1995.
Harper's, Texas Observer, Texas Monthly, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Reader, other magazines, 1955-present:Contributor of articles (including humor, under pseudonym Horace Naismith)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 17, 2008
a great read from cover to cover.
May 25, 2020
An interesting coffee table / reference book it glosses over the underworld of the Prohibition and Outlaw Eras of the 1920s and 1930s. Both Helmer and Mattix are acknowledged authorities writing with extensive research. Each author specializes in one of the eras. The material is a smorgasbord of tangents and seemingly disorganized material. The index only partially helps.
The most defining aspect of the book is the almost chaotic organization. I cannot even comment on a basic chronology because the authors separated crime and law enforcement. Therefore, law enforcement in the 1920s comes after crime in the 1930s. Scattered almost randomly throughout the text are boxed texts on a range of topics. Coffee table and reference works are only good insofar as users can locate information. In this book, it is quite difficult to locate information.
That being said, the information is very good. I did not see any obvious errors. There are the occasional typo; but otherwise, the content is what I would expect from these two people. I am surprised by how much I learned from this sort of book. The chronological tables, the boxed texts, and even the annotated bibliography all taught me things. I consider myself to be knowledgeable at least with regards to organized crime, if not the 1930s bandits.
Overall, I can recommend for experts and very casual readers. People who already know something about John Dillinger will probably not learn anything new owing to the brevity of their content. Experts who meticulously look for details will likely find this to be a surprising gem. Casual readers who randomly flip pages will also learn new things like the financial costs of enforcing the 18th Amendment, Chicago's Pineapple Primary, and the interconnections of the Depression Era bandits.
The most defining aspect of the book is the almost chaotic organization. I cannot even comment on a basic chronology because the authors separated crime and law enforcement. Therefore, law enforcement in the 1920s comes after crime in the 1930s. Scattered almost randomly throughout the text are boxed texts on a range of topics. Coffee table and reference works are only good insofar as users can locate information. In this book, it is quite difficult to locate information.
That being said, the information is very good. I did not see any obvious errors. There are the occasional typo; but otherwise, the content is what I would expect from these two people. I am surprised by how much I learned from this sort of book. The chronological tables, the boxed texts, and even the annotated bibliography all taught me things. I consider myself to be knowledgeable at least with regards to organized crime, if not the 1930s bandits.
Overall, I can recommend for experts and very casual readers. People who already know something about John Dillinger will probably not learn anything new owing to the brevity of their content. Experts who meticulously look for details will likely find this to be a surprising gem. Casual readers who randomly flip pages will also learn new things like the financial costs of enforcing the 18th Amendment, Chicago's Pineapple Primary, and the interconnections of the Depression Era bandits.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews