Representing over four decades of work, this monograph by historian Mark
H. Haller includes his work on organized crime in Chicago, particularly
the origins of John Landesco's now classic work titled Organized Crime
in Chicago (1929), written for the Illinois Crime Survey. Essays on
organized crime in both Philadelphia and Chicago, as well as vignettes
on Al "Scarface" Capone, Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein, Meyer Lansky, and
Max "Boo Boo" Hoff, provide readers with a lively selection of Haller's
commentary. Finally, this book incorporates Haller's critique of the
Mafia model of organized crime and his elaboration of the illegal
enterprise model of gangsters and their role in the American subeconomy,
including the historical importance of prohibition and 19th century
gambling syndicates in urban America.