New advertiser in October 2020 issue:
Secret Societies by Jon Black.
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Ad: Troublesome Robbery Gang
New advertiser in October 2020 issue:
One of the Most Troublesome Robbery Gangs: The Murders and Crimes of George McKeever and Francis McNeiley by Jeffery S. King.
Ad: Colorado's Carlino Brothers
New advertiser in October 2020 issue.
Colorado's Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire by Sam Carlino.
Monday, October 5, 2020
About formats and pricing
Formats and pricing
Dealing as completely as possible (through a half-year timetable) with the lengthy and complex underworld career of Nicola Gentile resulted in an especially lengthy issue of Informer (scheduled for release by October 19) and raised concerns over delivery of the issue to our readership. In its traditional, printed and bound magazine format, this issue reaches 214 pages, more than double the size of last year's large Maranzano-focused issue and about triple the size of the average Informer issue. With production costs tied to page count, it has become a particularly expensive document. In order to keep Informer as accessible as possible, we have added one new format - a black-and-white trade paperback - to our usual list of editions.
We gave some thought to decreasing the print magazine's page count through other means. It could have been achieved, for example, by eliminating article endnotes and/or by removing images and/or by dramatically reducing article type size and leading. These options were rejected as incompatible with Informer's mission and tradition. We decided that the usual print magazine format needed to be maintained, though its price tag might put it out of reach for some of its audience.
As usual, we are offering Informer in an electronic magazine (PDF) format. The pricing of this format is less influenced by the issue's page count, and we have been able to hold the sale price below $10 (US). Following the example of recent issues, we are also offering this issue as a Kindle-compatible e-book through Amazon.com. These electronic editions provide access to journal contents at a more reasonable cost, but they do not address the wants and needs of readers who prefer or require a physical form for their reading material.
For that reason, we reformatted the issue as a six-inch by nine-inch paperback book. Though this resulted in a hefty, 384-page volume, the printing cost calculations for books differ from those of magazines and allowed us to make the paperback format available for about half the price of the magazine. In the process, some filler material needed to be sacrificed, image color was lost and page layout had to be simplified. But the content of featured articles and their annotations were preserved.
We understand that increasing available formats could cause some confusion. We hope that our readers will forgive the complication and understand this attempt to provide flexible pricing of this important material. We plan to make the October 2020 issue available in the following editions (expected retail pricing shown):
- Printed bound magazine through MagCloud ($47.50)
- Printed softcover book through Amazon ($24.95)
- Electronic PDF magazine through MagCloud ($9.49)
- Electronic Kindle-compatible through Amazon ($9.49)
Update (Oct. 17)
Some problems in proof copies of the MagCloud print edition forced us to create a MagCloud electronic PDF that did not include Informer's usual searchable text. (Searchable text remains available in the Kindle e-book format.) We have decided to add two additional formats - a searchable PDF and an EPUB-format e-book - which will soon be available through Google Play Books. These both will be priced at $9.49.
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Kindle e-book available for preorder
The Kindle e-book version of October's Informer issue is already available for preorder through Amazon.com. Click the image below to link to the issue page.
(As an Amazon affiliate, we earn commissions from qualifying purchases.)
Nick Gentile is focus of Oct. issue
Here's a look at the cover of the October 2020 issue of Informer:
The issue will be released by October 19, 2020. The printed magazine runs 214 pages. Electronic editions in PDF and Amazon Kindle formats will be available.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Issue scheduled for fall 2020
A new issue of Informer has been scheduled for an October 19, 2020, release.
The articles deadline is August 21. Please let us know in advance if you are working on something you intend to submit.
The advertising deadline is September 18.
The articles deadline is August 21. Please let us know in advance if you are working on something you intend to submit.
The advertising deadline is September 18.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Early NYC Mafia issue now a Kindle e-book
Click to preview this issue on Amazon (US).
Sicilian hometown allegiance and kinship ties may have played larger roles in early Mafia development than previously thought. Using government records, other archival sources and published accounts, the writers follow offshoots of established Sicilian underworld organizations from Palermo, Corleone and Castellammare del Golfo as these propagate in a new land. The writers define relationships among and within the developing crime families and explore factional frictions through two early Mafia wars.
The discussion is accompanied by photographs, maps, charts and timelines. More than two hundred endnotes are provided.
This Informer issue was first released in print and PDF electronic editions (through MagCloud) in May 2014, and those editions remain available. It is the third Informer issue to be made available as a Kindle e-book.
Monday, September 16, 2019
1931 Piccola pic also NOT Maranzano
Informer adds to 'Maranzano muddle'
by reprinting a mislabeled portrait
A 1931 photograph said by Italian periodical Piccola to be a likeness of New York-based Mafia leader Salvatore Maranzano has turned out to be an image of a German mass murderer.
In our August 2019 issue on Maranzano, Informer printed the image (above) along with a short article describing the photo's recent discovery by a Canadian researcher and a caption reading: "The 'real' Maranzano?"
It was hoped that the discovery represented a victory in the eighty-eight-year quest for a photo of the living Maranzano. (There are a couple of crime scene photos taken following Maranzano's September 10, 1931, murder.) But, like another photo long believed to be the Mafia boss (but a decade ago proven in Informer to be a mug shot of an English vice criminal), it turned out to be someone else.
Due to the efforts of a keen-eyed European crime historian, the recently discovered photo was traced to portraits made of convicted multiple murderer Peter Kurten. Some known photos of Kurten - often referred to as "The Monster of Dusseldorf" or "The Dusseldorf Vampire" - match the supposed Maranzano photo published in the November 10, 1931, issue of Italy's Piccola. The photos match in facial details, hat and clothing. One also shows identical facial positioning and seems to be the original full-length image from which the Piccola portrait was cropped.
Kurten was convicted of multiple murders and attempted murders in spring 1931. He was executed by guillotine in Cologne, Germany, on July 2, 1931. Photos of Kurten were published around the world in spring and summer of 1931. So, an image of the killer was probably close at hand when Piccola sought to illustrate its article on Maranzano's assassination.
We were advised of the connection to Kurten on the evening of September 15, 2019, and immediately posted a notice on our website and our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Our investigation quickly revealed that the Piccola image was Kurten.
We apologize to our readers for inadvertently contributing to the generations-old "Maranzano muddle."
Image at left from Murderpedia
by reprinting a mislabeled portrait
A 1931 photograph said by Italian periodical Piccola to be a likeness of New York-based Mafia leader Salvatore Maranzano has turned out to be an image of a German mass murderer.
It was hoped that the discovery represented a victory in the eighty-eight-year quest for a photo of the living Maranzano. (There are a couple of crime scene photos taken following Maranzano's September 10, 1931, murder.) But, like another photo long believed to be the Mafia boss (but a decade ago proven in Informer to be a mug shot of an English vice criminal), it turned out to be someone else.
Due to the efforts of a keen-eyed European crime historian, the recently discovered photo was traced to portraits made of convicted multiple murderer Peter Kurten. Some known photos of Kurten - often referred to as "The Monster of Dusseldorf" or "The Dusseldorf Vampire" - match the supposed Maranzano photo published in the November 10, 1931, issue of Italy's Piccola. The photos match in facial details, hat and clothing. One also shows identical facial positioning and seems to be the original full-length image from which the Piccola portrait was cropped.
 |
| Image above from Criminal Encyclopedia |
We apologize to our readers for inadvertently contributing to the generations-old "Maranzano muddle."
Image at left from Murderpedia
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Concerns over Maranzano photo
We just received some disappointing news about the recently discovered Maranzano photo, which was revealed and discussed in our latest issue.
We are checking into the details now. And we should have an announcement tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Why Maranzano? Why now?
[UPDATE: Immediately following the release of publication, it was learned that the discovered photo labeled "Maranzano" by an Italian periodical was actually of a German murderer.]
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Thanks to you
I want to take just a moment to thank all of you - friends, collaborators, contributors, advertisers and, of course, readers - who have helped keep Informer going since September 2008.
Over the course of eleven years, Informer has published twenty-nine issues containing more than two hundred articles and a total of 2,102 pages. (Someday, I may get around to counting up the number of source citations.) I had high hopes for Informer at the time of its launch. But, honestly, I never expected it would survive for more than a decade.
You have been the reason for the periodical's surprising longevity. You have encouraged, supported, inspired and helped to fill each issue. You have combined to communicate some truly groundbreaking discoveries in a form that allows others to benefit from and build upon them.
Since its release a few days ago, sales of the August 2019 special issue on Salvatore Maranzano have been brisk, and it appears the issue may turn out to be Informer's best seller. That's you again.
It has been my pleasure and my privilege to work with you and for you for the past eleven years.
Over the course of eleven years, Informer has published twenty-nine issues containing more than two hundred articles and a total of 2,102 pages. (Someday, I may get around to counting up the number of source citations.) I had high hopes for Informer at the time of its launch. But, honestly, I never expected it would survive for more than a decade.
You have been the reason for the periodical's surprising longevity. You have encouraged, supported, inspired and helped to fill each issue. You have combined to communicate some truly groundbreaking discoveries in a form that allows others to benefit from and build upon them.
Since its release a few days ago, sales of the August 2019 special issue on Salvatore Maranzano have been brisk, and it appears the issue may turn out to be Informer's best seller. That's you again.
It has been my pleasure and my privilege to work with you and for you for the past eleven years.
Thank you,
Tom Hunt
Tom Hunt
Monday, August 5, 2019
August 2019 issue of Informer
August 2019 issue contents
Editorial
Researchers have long been bothered by the lack of a photograph of Prohibition Era Mafia leader Salvatore Maranzano.
One decade ago, in the July 2009 issue of Informer, Mafia historian David Critchley discussed a widely circulated mug shot photo that had been passed off as Maranzano. Critchley noted that the image had made the rounds since initial publication in a 1990 book. It had been copied into books, magazines and websites, always captioned as Maranzano and never credited to any specific source. Critchley revealed that the same photo had been printed with an article on British vice criminal Salvatore Messina in an August 1967 London newspaper. He confirmed that the photo was of Messina, not Maranzano, by locating Messina's mug shot in a Scotland Yard resource.
There seem to be no official U.S. government mug shots of Maranzano for the simple reason that Maranzano was not arrested. He was sought by law enforcement on more than one occasion, but never photographed until after his murder. During the police investigation of the killing, two known photographs were taken of the dead Mafia leader. These did not provide much in the way of facial detail. The only other known image of Maranzano was a coroner’s sketch that roughly showed a profile of his face and pinpointed the wounds inflicted on his body.
For the July 2009 issue, Informer attempted to blend the crime scene photos and sketch into an image of the living Maranzano. But there was no method of gauging the accuracy of the result.
Then, early this past April, Informer received an email from a Canadian researcher, who believed he was on the verge of obtaining an actual image of Maranzano. [UPDATE: It has since been proven that this photo too is NOT of Salvatore Maranzano.]
Peter Kalm discovered an old magazine that contained an article and a photograph of Maranzano and told Informer of his find. We initially were skeptical that any published image of the Mafia leader had managed to escape notice for nearly eighty eight years. But on April 25, Kalm shared the magazine article and photograph. We noted there were obvious similarities between the image and the crime scene photos, coroner’s sketch and our own blended image of Maranzano.
As he provided the materials, Kalm wrote, “Maranzano has intrigued me since I saw the movie The Valachi Papers years ago. Sadly, it is probably too late for anyone to write a book about his life since there is no one around who remembers him and also so little information about him still exists.”
In case there are some who do not already know, Maranzano was a bootlegger and Mafioso in the New York area during the late 1920s. He rose to command a successful gangland rebellion against reigning boss of bosses Giuseppe Masseria in 1930-31 and took for himself the boss of bosses position. His term in office was merely a few months, as he was assassinated by gunmen working for Salvatore "Charlie Luciano" Lucania in September 1931.
We considered how best to publicize Kalm’s discovery and to make known his vigilance, good fortune and extreme generosity. He indicated that he was uninterested in any personal publicity but hoped the appearance of the photograph would reignite Maranzano research.
It seemed to us that the most appropriate method of bringing the image to the public was to package it in an entire Informer issue that discussed all that we know about Maranzano. While it falls somewhat short of Kalm’s wish for a Maranzano book, we hope it will serve as a foundation for future research.
This issue contains a number of articles that approach the issue from different perspectives. These articles contain some overlapping data, but each is written to address a specific question about Salvatore Maranzano:
84 pages including covers and eight and a half pages of advertisements.
Editorial
So... why are we discussing
Salvatore Maranzano now?
One decade ago, in the July 2009 issue of Informer, Mafia historian David Critchley discussed a widely circulated mug shot photo that had been passed off as Maranzano. Critchley noted that the image had made the rounds since initial publication in a 1990 book. It had been copied into books, magazines and websites, always captioned as Maranzano and never credited to any specific source. Critchley revealed that the same photo had been printed with an article on British vice criminal Salvatore Messina in an August 1967 London newspaper. He confirmed that the photo was of Messina, not Maranzano, by locating Messina's mug shot in a Scotland Yard resource.
There seem to be no official U.S. government mug shots of Maranzano for the simple reason that Maranzano was not arrested. He was sought by law enforcement on more than one occasion, but never photographed until after his murder. During the police investigation of the killing, two known photographs were taken of the dead Mafia leader. These did not provide much in the way of facial detail. The only other known image of Maranzano was a coroner’s sketch that roughly showed a profile of his face and pinpointed the wounds inflicted on his body.
For the July 2009 issue, Informer attempted to blend the crime scene photos and sketch into an image of the living Maranzano. But there was no method of gauging the accuracy of the result.
Then, early this past April, Informer received an email from a Canadian researcher, who believed he was on the verge of obtaining an actual image of Maranzano. [UPDATE: It has since been proven that this photo too is NOT of Salvatore Maranzano.]
Peter Kalm discovered an old magazine that contained an article and a photograph of Maranzano and told Informer of his find. We initially were skeptical that any published image of the Mafia leader had managed to escape notice for nearly eighty eight years. But on April 25, Kalm shared the magazine article and photograph. We noted there were obvious similarities between the image and the crime scene photos, coroner’s sketch and our own blended image of Maranzano.
As he provided the materials, Kalm wrote, “Maranzano has intrigued me since I saw the movie The Valachi Papers years ago. Sadly, it is probably too late for anyone to write a book about his life since there is no one around who remembers him and also so little information about him still exists.”
In case there are some who do not already know, Maranzano was a bootlegger and Mafioso in the New York area during the late 1920s. He rose to command a successful gangland rebellion against reigning boss of bosses Giuseppe Masseria in 1930-31 and took for himself the boss of bosses position. His term in office was merely a few months, as he was assassinated by gunmen working for Salvatore "Charlie Luciano" Lucania in September 1931.
We considered how best to publicize Kalm’s discovery and to make known his vigilance, good fortune and extreme generosity. He indicated that he was uninterested in any personal publicity but hoped the appearance of the photograph would reignite Maranzano research.
It seemed to us that the most appropriate method of bringing the image to the public was to package it in an entire Informer issue that discussed all that we know about Maranzano. While it falls somewhat short of Kalm’s wish for a Maranzano book, we hope it will serve as a foundation for future research.
This issue contains a number of articles that approach the issue from different perspectives. These articles contain some overlapping data, but each is written to address a specific question about Salvatore Maranzano:
- What can we learn from recent discoveries? (Preview.)
- Why was Maranzano important in U.S. Mafia history? (Preview.)
- What did Maranzano certainly NOT look like? (Preview.)
- What was Maranzano up to in Dutchess County, New York? (Preview.)
- Why did Maranzano select Coll to kill "Lucky"? (Preview.)
- What was revealed about Maranzano by those who knew him? (Preview.)
- Where were significant locations of Maranzano’s life and career? (Preview.)
- When did Maranzano related events occur? (Preview.)
- Did Maranzano become a United States citizen? (Preview.)
- How has Maranzano been depicted in motion pictures? (Preview.)
- What happened on Sept. 10, 1931? (Preview.)
- What was in the memorandum book? (Preview.)
- What do we know about Maranzano in Sicily? (Preview.)
- Was there really a post Maranzano purge? (Preview.)
84 pages including covers and eight and a half pages of advertisements.
Researcher unearths Maranzano photo
August 2019 issue contents
Features
Early this past spring, Peter Kalm of Ontario, Canada, whose hobbies include antiques and history, happened to notice the eBay sale of an old periodical. The item description on the auction website indicated that the magazine contained an article on murdered New York Mafia boss Salvatore Maranzano...
Features
Researcher unearths Maranzano photo
from old magazine sold on auction site
Early this past spring, Peter Kalm of Ontario, Canada, whose hobbies include antiques and history, happened to notice the eBay sale of an old periodical. The item description on the auction website indicated that the magazine contained an article on murdered New York Mafia boss Salvatore Maranzano...
[UPDATE: It has since been proven that this photo is NOT of Salvatore Maranzano.]
Three pages including two images.
Three pages including two images.
Why was Maranzano important?
August 2019 issue contents
Features
Perspective:
Prior to autumn of 1931, a single supreme arbiter stood atop the Mafia criminal society in the United States. The individual was designated as “capo dei capi” or boss of the bosses.
Some suggest that the power of a boss of bosses was limited to resolving differences between crime families, and that appears to have been the official purpose of the office. However, the holders of the position were known to install friends as members - sometimes even leaders - of crime families around the country, to demand tribute payments from other Mafiosi, to interfere in others’ racketeering ventures and to order the murders of their opponents.
Three pages including five images.
Features
Perspective:
Why was Maranzano significant
in American Mafia history?
By Thomas Hunt
Some suggest that the power of a boss of bosses was limited to resolving differences between crime families, and that appears to have been the official purpose of the office. However, the holders of the position were known to install friends as members - sometimes even leaders - of crime families around the country, to demand tribute payments from other Mafiosi, to interfere in others’ racketeering ventures and to order the murders of their opponents.
Three pages including five images.
What Maranzano did not look like
August 2019 issue contents
Features
[Ten years ago: Reprinted from July 2009 issue of Informer.]
An apparent photograph of “Salvatore Maranzano” has appeared in varied venues, ranging from books to the Internet. What those who print it fail to mention is that it’s not of Maranzano at all. The mistake made is a classic case of the much broader problem of inaccuracies plaguing accounts of the American Mafia, which spread myths and misunderstandings.
Two pages including five images.
Features
What Maranzano did not look like
The Maranzano muddle
By David Critchley
[Ten years ago: Reprinted from July 2009 issue of Informer.]
Two pages including five images.
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