Gangland: The Early Years

In his compelling new book, James Morton chronicles the early years of Gangland culture. It was an era filled with remarkable characters on both sides of the Atlantic—Marm Mandelbaum, Queen of New York receivers; “General" Abe Sheedy, who ran a nationwide gang of pickpockets; Harry “The Valet" Thomas, who stole the Duchess of Sutherland's jewels; and “The Emperor" Adam Worth, art thief and inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's Professor Moriarty. If the criminals were gearing up for modern times, so too were those on the side of good. 1850 saw the opening of Allan Pinkerton's famous detective agency; in New York, police officer Thomas Byrnes devised the so-called Third Degree; and in France, Althose Bertillon was developing a revolutionary system of identification.