A Brief History of Gangsters

by Brian J. Robb

In this fascinating Brief History, Robb explores the history of the greatest crime bosses from around the world and their effect on pop-culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2014

About the author

Brian J. Robb is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling biographer of Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, and Brad Pitt. He has also written books on silent cinema, the films of Philip K. Dick, Wes Craven, and Laurel and Hardy, the Star Wars movies, Superheroes, Gangsters, and Walt Disney, as well as science fiction television series Doctor Who and Star Trek. His illustrated books include an Illustrated History of Steampunk and a guide to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth (Winner, Best Book, Tolkien Society Awards). He writes and edits the Chaplin: Film by Film centenary blog site and is co-editor of the Sci-Fi Bulletin website. He lives in Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit dry and confusing due to chronology that skipped around and so many unfamiliar names. But the topic kept my attention. From the earliest days up to the 2000s, the history of gangsters unfolded

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more. I bit dull, I liked reading about all the gangsters but it could have been so much better.

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that gives a good foundation of understanding on gangsters and their history.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book that centralizes everything you ever wanted to know about gangsters, however, it feels like reading a wikipedia page, thus the rating.