WORLD S GREATEST TRUE CRIME

By: COLIN WILSON

Book Overview

Part 1-World Famous Gangsters Part 2-World Famous Robberies Part 3-Swindles and Hoaxes Part 4-Scandals This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760769915
• ISBN13: 9780760769911
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: BARNES & NOBLE BOOKS
• Length: 452 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Nicely done!

This is a book that is not so much written by an author, but is edited in several sections by several men. It starts off with mobsters and the mafia; moves through gin crime and other crimes in 18th and 19th Century; has a section on the Wild West and why bandits weren't all that likeable after all; moves through the slew of hoaxes and frauds that emerged in the late 19th century and through the 20th century , with fake biographies, false gurus and outright liars; and it end with the royal and political scandals of the last century. It's important to note that this is not an extremely well written book, but it is very well researched. My copy is also quite outdated, being written in 1993 and not sufficiently updated even though my edition was published in 2001. This is significant in the light of the various films that have been released on these stories in the past 13 years (the authors refer to popular media depictions) including the Aviator, the capture of Biggs, the death of both the Krays and the death of John Profumo. (Okay, I mentioned the last to see if you're concentrating - he only died March this year and this couldn't possibly feature in the book :0)) However, I only mention that the book is outdated because it could be so much better if it were up to date. It's not a criticism, so much as a request. But it's a great compendium of facts and trivia ad I'm really glad I read it. It's made me quite keen to go on to other biographies and autobiographies now and that makes me happy.