Prohibition Gangsters: The Rise and Fall of a Bad Generation

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.

"Marc Mappen proves an adept storyteller as he takes readers beyond 'Boardwalk Empire.' Mappen spins some good yarns about the gangsters, dominated by New Yorkers, whose rise was triggered by the Eighteenth Amendment, which took effect in 1920, and who proved that, at times, crime not only pays, but pays very well." --Sam Roberts, New York Times

"A book about the Prohibition gangsters should be a fascinating and exciting read. Mappen does not disappoint. His fast-moving but authoritative narrative takes readers through the Prohibition years and beyond. Mappen's book is a splendid introduction to the story of a generation of criminals who captured the American imagination." --Journal of American Culture

"Marc Mappen far outstrips his fellow crime writers when] describing mob activity in smaller U.S. cities. Chicago and New York have been examined enough, so Mappen turns his eye on the Purple Gang of Detroit, the Pendergast machine in Kansas City, and the bootleg wars of Cleveland." --Philadelphia Review of Books


View a three minute video of Marc Mappen speaking about Prohibition Gangsters.

MARC MAPPEN is the coeditor of the award-winning Encyclopedia of New Jersey and author of Jerseyana: The Underside of New Jersey History (both Rutgers University Press). He has written articles for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Rutgers Magazine, and other publications and has appeared on the History Channel and National Public Radio.