Almanac of World Crime

The Almanac of World Crime chronicles the exploits of the underworld—murder, robbery, arson, torture, rape, kidnapping, extortion, and blackmail, to name only a few—and takes the reader on an iniquitous tour of the world's gambling halls, dope parlors, cathouses, and clip joints. Everything from the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius and Mount Pelée to the looting during the Black Plague is featured in these pages. Here are the stories of some of history's outstanding killers and criminals: "Black Jack" Ketchum, Polly Adler, "Scarface" Al Capone, "Trigger Mike" Cappola, and George Metesky, as well as The Mad Bomber, Dutch Schultz, Belle Star, Lizzie Borden, Blue Near, Caligula, Jack the Ripper, and the Manson Gang. Drawn from thousands of sources and illustrated with over 200 photographs and drawings, Almanac of World Crime defines the darker side of human nature and conveniently presents it to the reader A to Z.