Except for the reviews in quotations, I reviewed several books myself.
The Overlook Film Encyclopedia:
The Gangster Film
by Phil Hardy
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"Included are critical entries of more than 1,500 films dealing with gangsters, complete with plot synopses, credits, and 650 black-and-white photographs to capture the very essence of this exciting genre."
Bullets over Hollywood:
The Screen Gangster from the Silents to "The Sopranos" and Beyond
by John McCarty
---BUY THIS BOOK---
This book was the sole inspiration for this web site. Loaded with plenty of info and more films I ever knew existed. NOTE: This is an updated version of the book "Hollywood Gangland: The Movies' Love Affair with the Mob"
Dreams & Dead Ends:
The American Gangster Film
by Jack Shadoian
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"Ranging from Little Caesar (1930) to Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995), Shadoian guides the reader through twenty classic movies of the genre"
"Pump 'Em Full of Lead"
by Marilyn Yaquinto
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"From The Public Enemy to Pulp Fiction. . .this is the most comprehensive look at gangster films and why Americans love them."
American Gangster Cinema:
From 'Little Caesar' to 'Pulp Fiction'
by Fran Mason
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"This text extends previous analysis of the genre by examining the evolution of gangster movies from the 1930s to the contemporary period and by placing them in the context of cultural and cinematic issues such as masculinity, consumerism, and technology."
Classic Gangster Films
by Robert Bookbinder
---BUY THIS BOOK---
A very basic book, with 50 Gangster Films featured. Mostly the classics with Cagney, Bogart, and Robinson. From Little Caesar (1930) to Scarface (1983).
Gangster Speak:
30 Movie Flash Cards
by Robert Bookbinder
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"...flashcards featuring famous one-liners and movie stills from gangster classics as well as the skinny on the films."
Crime Movie Posters
by Bruce Hershenson and Richard Allen
---BUY THIS BOOK---
Hundreds of great images of Gangster and Crime movie posters. From The Honor of the Force (1913) to Fargo (1996).
The Yakuza Movie Book:
A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films
by Mark Schilling
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"...features more than 100 film critiques and "top 10" recommendations plus profiles and interviews of famous actors and directors like Kinji Fukasaku, Takashi Miike, Takeshi -Kitano...
Shots in the Mirror:
Crime Films and Society
by Nicole Hahn Rafter
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"...well-known criminologist Nicole Rafter examines the relationship between society and crime films from the perspectives of criminal justice, film history and technique, and sociology."
Public Enemies, Public Heroes:
Screening the Gangster from Little Caesar to Touch of Evil
by Jonathan Munby
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"In this study of Hollywood gangster films, Jonathan Munby examines their controversial content and how it was subjected to continual moral and political censure."
Crime Movies
by Carlos Clarens, and Foster Hirsch
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"In this history of the genre Carlos Clarens gives us a mini-history of crime American-style. From New York's Biograph
Studios, where raw violence was introduced to celluloid immortality, to today's multi-million-dollar celebrations of blood and power..."
Inventing the Public Enemy :
The Gangster in American Culture, 1918-1934
by David E. Ruth
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"Explores not the facts of crime in the US after the First World War but popular belief that crime was a defining element of American society, and the construction by mass media of the gangster as the embodiment of that crime. ..."
Gangster Films: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Reference to People, Films and Terms
by Michael L. Stephens
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"From D. W. Griffith's 1912 silent The Musketeers of Pig Alley to the 1993 Billy Bathgate an encyclopedia with entries for films, actors, directors, producers, and cinematographers...Illustrated with stills and publicity photos."
Gunmen and Gangsters: Profiles of 9 Actors Who Portrayed Memorable Screen Tough Guys
by Michael Schlossheimer
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"...about the personal and professional lives of second-string actors who replaced the big names and did a memorable job - William Bendix, Charles Bickford, Ward Bond, Broderick Crawford, Brian Donlevy, Paul Douglas, William Gargan, Barton MacLane, and Lloyd Nolan."
Money, Women and Guns:
Crime Movies from Bonnie and Clyde to the Present
by Douglas Brode
---BUY THIS BOOK---
(description not available)
A Guide to American Silent Crime Films
by Larry Langman and Daniel Finn
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"An alpha-by-title listing of over 2,000 silent crime films. Most entries include a plot summary and a listing of significant features such as the film's director, cast members, and run time."
A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties
by Larry Langman and Daniel Finn
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"A guide that lists the screen credits of some 1,100 features released from 1928 through 1939, including all crime subgenres (detective, mystery, cops-and-robbers, courtroom drama, and gangster)..."
A Guide to American Crime Films of the Forties and Fifties
by Larry Langman and Daniel Finn
---BUY THIS BOOK---
"Describes over 1,200 films released between 1940 and 1959. Noting that crime is not a recognized film genre, clarifies each film's place in the many genres that have contributed crime themes...."
The Great Gangster Pictures II
by James Robert Parish and Michael R. Pitts
---BUY THIS BOOK---
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir
by Foster Hirsch
---BUY THIS BOOK---
Crime Movie Quiz Book
by Jay Robert Nash
---BUY THIS BOOK---
The Godfather Legacy
by Harlan Lebo
---BUY THIS BOOK---
An excellent behind the scenes look at the "Gone with the Wind" of Gangster Films.
Great photos too, including such photos as Brando reading his cue cards as Robert Duvall holds them against his chest!
