The Origin of Organized Crime in America (Routledge Advances in American History)

While the later history of the New York Mafia has received extensive attention, what has been conspicuously absent until now is an accurate and conversant review of the formative years of Mafia organizational growth. David Critchley examines the Mafia recruitment process, relations with Mafias in Sicily, the role of non-Sicilians in New York’s organized crime Families, kinship connections, the Black Hand, the impact of Prohibition, and allegations that a "new" Mafia was created in 1931. This book will interest Historians, Criminologists, and anyone fascinated by the American Mafia.

A former British public sector employee, David Critchley received his doctorate from Liverpool John Moores University, and is the author of the 1984 bibliography International Perspectives on Organized Crime and of articles in the journal Global Crime and Chronicle, the magazine of the Historical Society of Michigan. His book The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931 is the product of 10 years of research both in the United States and the United Kingdom.