In the spirit of The Official Preppy Handbook, this tongue-in-cheek guide to the ins and outs of the mob tells readers everything they need to know in order to lead a glamorous life of crime, pasta, and pinky rings. Perfect for goodfellas and wiseguy wannabes everywhere. Illustrations and photos.

“Don’t let your tongue be your worst enemy.” —John “Sonny” Franzese “You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.” —Al Capone “I never lie to any man because I don't fear anyone. The only time you lie is when you are afraid.” —John Gotti Despite the fact that secrecy is vital to the Mob, mobsters have revealed themselves to be notorious gossips, prone to bragging, and even outrageous loudmouths. Delve into the inner workings of the Mob and the mindset of those who run it through these mesmerizing quotes from some of the smoothest and most dangerous criminals, real and fictional, who ever made headlines. Whether they’re spilling to their lawyers or making blood-chilling threats, mobsters reveal startling insights on leadership, guilt, and loyalty. While at times shocking, crude, and even unintentionally funny, these quotes also help us to see the humanity behind these dark bosses of the underworld . . . and give us a little insight into the dark side of our own natures, as well.

"Millions of television and movie viewers have shown that Americans continue to be fascinated by the remarkableùand often sordidùworld of the Mafia. This book takes you beyond fiction and tabloid accounts and relates the true-life accounts of all the major players in the American Mafia. From Al Capone to John Gotti, you will come away with a better understanding of AmericaÆs most notorious crime families. This book features colorful information on: The Sicilian Mafia The ôFirst Familyö of the American Mafia The ôrealö Untouchables The mob and politicians The five New York families Packed full of up-to-date gangster information, this guide will satisfy even the most ardent true-crime enthusiasts."

How do mafias work? How do they recruit people, control members, conduct legal and illegal business, and use violence? Why do they establish such a complex mix of rituals, rules, and codes of conduct? And how do they differ? Why do some mafias commit many more murders than others? This book makes sense of mafias as organizations, via a collative analysis of historical accounts, official data, investigative sources, and interviews. Catino presents a comparative study of seven mafias around the world, from three Italian mafias to the American Cosa Nostra, Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads, and Russian mafia. He identifies the organizational architecture that characterizes these criminal groups, and relates different organizational models to the use of violence. Furthermore, he advances a theory on the specific functionality of mafia rules and discusses the major organizational dilemmas that mafias face. This book shows that understanding the organizational logic of mafias is an indispensable step in confronting them.

The New York City historian and author of The Bowery takes readers on a tour of New York’s infamous underworld in this revealing guide. During the early twentieth century, Sicilian and Southern Italian immigrants poured into New York City looking for a better life. But while they escaped the kind of poverty and persecution they experienced in the old country, they soon discovered that certain criminal enterprises followed them to America. Over the years, the island of Manhattan would become a hotbed of organized crime and underworld intrigue. It’s a version of the city that remains invisible to most visitors—until now. In this revealing tour of New York City’s mafia history, Eric Ferrara gives readers an insider’s look at how the mob lived—and where they died. Ferrara goes inside mafia hangouts from the Copacabana to Milady’s Bar and the Thompson Street Social Club. He vividly recounts infamous episodes in the lives of famous mafia men, like Charlie “Lucky” Luciano and Joey Gallo, as well as more obscure players who will be new to most readers. From the beginnings of Black Hand criminal networks to the reign of an all-powerful organized crime syndicate, Manhattan Mafia Guide offers a fascinating look down New York City’s mean streets.

At 21 years of age I left my life in Italy to pursue my dream of becoming a top financier on Wall Street. Twenty years later, I woke one day to find that I was "The Mafia's Banker." In a single moment my life was changed forever. I do not want sympathy. I am not asking for help nor revenge. I just want back what is rightfully mine. My dignity.

Some time in the early 1960s, during the golden age of organized crime in America—the era that would inspire The Godfather; Goodfellas, and even The Sopranos—federal investigators pulled every known piece of information on more than 800 Mafia members worldwide into a thick, phone-book-sized directory. From old-school gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Mickey Cohen to young turks like Paul Castellano and Vinny "The Chin" Gigante, the guide offered at-a-glance profiles of small-time thugs and major dons alike... and was allegedly the book Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy used to investigate the mob. Recently discovered, and published for the first time in this facsimile edition, Mafia is a treasure trove of info on the underworld in mid-century America—a revelatory artifact and an irresistible read.