Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia - Softcover

Dickie LLB, Professor John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1403970424 ISBN 13: 9781403970428

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2005

Synopsis

Rare Book

About this title

Review:

"The inspiration of far too much pulpy entertainment, the Italian mobsters under John Dickie's miscroscope in Cosa Nostra have long cultivated outsiders' tendencies to romanticize their supposed honor and loyalty. But Dickie demonstrates definitively that the centuries-old mafia has never been more than an illegal business and shadow state pursuing 'power and money by cultivating the art of killing people.'" --The Washington Post

"His is the first truly definitive English-language study of this myth-laden subject, and it is a pleasure to read...his book is notable for shrewd judgments couched in language that is vibrantly memorable. His acquaintance with the island and his immersion in the wider modern Italian culture also allow him to convey the noxious atmo-sphere of corruption with flair." --Christopher Sylvester, The Sunday Times (London)

"A serious contribution to modern Italian history . . . it can be safely predicted that Dickie's book will be a sensation, not least because it has a dozen potential movies in it." --Clive James, Times Literary Supplement

"I couldn't put it down. His archival sleuthing is yoked to his powerful, often coruscating storytelling to create a chilling account of the mafia's sinister, horrific reality." --John Guy, The Sunday Times

"Absorbing . . . He succeeds in being both opinionated and precise and has performed a necessary work of rebranding." --Financial Times

"Riveting" --Sunday Telegraph

"Vibrant, muscular and highly readable." --Clare Longrigg, Guardian

"Lucid . . . grimly readable." --Daily Telegraph

"A brave work." --Mail on Sunday

"Highly readable . . . compelling. The narrative is entertaining and, at times, as chilling as the darkest crime fiction. It combines compelling horror with clear, rational analysis." --Glasgow Herald

"Cosa Nostra overflows with wonderful vignettes about mafia codes of conduct . . . engrossing." --John Naughton, 0 Word

"A fascinating book. Cosa Nostra combines scholarship with a rip-roaring read." --Sunday Herald

"Monumental and gripping." --Andrew Marr, BBC Radio 4's Start the Week

Book Description:

The compelling inside story of the Sicilian Mafia, the world's most famous, most secretive and most misunderstood criminal fraternity.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1403970424
• ISBN 13: 9781403970428
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400