Books in Notorious Americans series

Reared in an atmosphere of violence and corruption, it is easy to see how Alphonse Capone was destined for a life of crime. Capone raised organized crime to a new level of sophistication, turning the city of Chicago upside down in the process. How did he get away with it?

Born into a famous family of highly respected actors, young John seemed to have his life plotted for him. But, in the 1860s, as tensions over slavery mounted, he became increasingly political. How did he wind up at Ford's Theater one night, ready to kill the president?

A persuasive speaker and cunning political operative, McCarthy was arguably the most powerful senator of the 1950s. He destroyed the personal and professional lives of hundreds of Americans, including some of the country's most prominent writers and artists. How and why did he do it?

While serving as vice-president of the United States, Burr dueled and killed Alexander Hamilton, one of the nation's most revered leaders. Later, Burr hatched a plot to take over U.S. western territory and form his own country.

By 1857, William Marcy "Boss" Tweed was emerging as one of America's most powerful political figures. By the 1860s, he was controlling a Tammany Hall network of graft and corruption that generated, by some estimates, up to 200 million dollars.

At the heart of these biographies are the stories, not only of infamous individuals, but also of our past. Each title weaves the complex events of an era around the life story of an important historical figure. Each of the 6-vols. include: Highly illustrated Chronology Glossary Further Reading Index

By 1857, William Marcy "Boss" Tweed was emerging as one of America's most powerful political figures. By the 1860s, he was controlling a Tammany Hall network of graft and corruption that generated, by some estimates, up to 200 million dollars.

Known far and wide as our country's most infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold was also one of the nation's most talented military officers during the American Revolution. So what went wrong?

A biography of the infamous gangster and murderer who was responsible for the building of the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas.

The life of one of America's most infamous and powerful gangsters set in 1920s Chicago during the Prohibition

A biography of the unknown first-term senator from Wisconsin who gained notoriety by stirring up anti-Communist fears in the years after World War II

Born into a famous family of highly respected actors, young John seemed to have his life plotted for him. But, in the 1860s, as tensions over slavery mounted, he became increasingly political. How did he wind up at Ford's Theater one night, ready to kill the president?