GIFT IDEA for the crime history aficionado

Looking for a unique holiday present for a crime history aficionado? A one-year gift subscription to the electronic edition of Informer: The Journal of American Mafia History is bargain priced at just $18 through Jan. 1, 2009. Recipients will have online access to a year of Informer's historical articles, book reviews, photos and more.

[Sorry, we no longer offer subscriptions to Informer.]

To purchase a gift subscription to Informer's electronic edition for just $18, simply click on the link below and complete your purchase through Paypal's secure online checkout. Don't forget to note the e-mail address of the recipient, so we can let him or her know when each new issue is available for download.

UPDATE: Subscriptions to the PRINT EDITION of Informer - a professionally printed, bound and mailed journal - are now available (U.S. addresses only). See the Subscriptions information at right.

Sample issue available on Scribd.com

The first electronic issue of Informer: The Journal of American Mafia history is now available for free download through Scribd.com, the popular San Francisco-based document hosting and sharing service. The issue was published in September 2008 and contains articles on the mob's worst year (1957), the 1891 New Orleans lynchings, Al Capone ally Fred "Killer" Burke, and Kansas City Mafia boss Joseph DiGiovanni. It also includes book reviews, current events, an author interview and more.

Grab this free electronic sample issue by clicking here

and selecting the Download Adobe Acrobat PDF option.

The same issue is also available for sale as a professionally printed journal through the MagCloud.com service. The contents are the same, but the hardcopy Informer is expertly printed in full color on sturdy, matte-finish stock. It is carefully packaged for mailing and usually arrives within 10 days of order. (Unfortunately, the preprinted edition of Informer can only be shipped to United States addresses at this time.)

Purchase the preprinted, mailed edition

of Informer by clicking here.

Special subscription price 'til Jan. 1, 2009

Subscribe to the electronic edition of Informer: The Journal of American Mafia History before Jan. 1, 2009, and save. Use the subscribe button in the right column of this page to purchase four quarterly issues of Informer for $18, a savings of 18% off the regular subscription price.

Not sure? Take a look at Informer Issue #1 for free. Click here and then select the Download button. (To date, more than 250 individuals interested in American Mafia history and current events have downloaded Issue #1.)

Petrosino featured in January issue

Vol. 2, No. 1 of Informer: The Journal of American Mafia History will commemorate the career of New York Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino. Spring 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of Petrosino's assassination while on undercover assignment in Palermo, Sicily.

Also in the next issue:

• The Mob's Worst Year: 1957 - Part Two


• Book Review of Ouseley's Open City


• An Interview with Author Scott Deitche

and plenty more.

The issue will be available for subscriber download and online purchase on Jan. 26, 2009.

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Feature Articles, Who Was Who, Rogues Gallery, Mob Chronology, Book Notes, Much More.

Informer print edition is on sale at MagCloud

We are happy to announce that the print edition of Informer's first issue is on sale through MagCloud.com. The printing service, a branch of HP, also provides an issue Table of Contents and an online preview. Issue 1 can be purchased for $11.60 plus $1.40 shipping (only to U.S. addresses at this time).

CLICK TO VISIT MAGCLOUD

Print edition ISSN: 1943-7803
Electronic edition ISSN: 1944-8139

Publishing calendar

Informer's tentative calendar for upcoming issues follows:

• Nov. 3 2008 - Article deadline for Vol. 2, No. 1.
• Dec. 23 2008 - Advertising deadline for v.2 n.1.
• Jan. 26 2009 - Publish date for v.2 n.1.
• Feb. 23 2009 - Article deadline for v.2 n.2.
• Mar. 27 2009 - Advertising deadline for v.2 n.2.
• Apr. 27 2009 - Publish date for v.2 n.2.
• May 25 2009 - Article deadline for v.2 n.3.
• Jun. 26 2009 - Advertising deadline for v.2 n.3.
• Jul. 27 2009 - Publish date for v.2 n.3.
• Aug. 24 2009 - Article deadline for v.2 n.4.
• Sep. 25 2009 - Advertising deadline for v.2 n.4.
• Oct. 26 2009 - Publish date for v.2 n.4.
• Nov. 23 2009 - Article deadline for v.3 n.1.
• Dec. 23 2009 - Advertising deadline for v.3 n.1.

Printed version of Informer available soon

In response to many reader requests, a professionally printed version of Informer will soon be available for purchase within the U.S. At this time, we are estimating a sale price between $11 and $12 per issue plus postage for U.S. mailing addresses.

This is an exciting development for Informer - one we hadn't anticipated happening quite so quickly. We remain committed to providing the low-cost electronic option for all Informer issues. But we agreed with readers that a printed version should also be available.

"Stay tuned" for updates.

Informer downloads total 150 in first week

Downloads of Informer: The Journal of American Mafia History have hit the 150 mark, according to statistics on Box.net. Issue 1 of the electronic journal has been available for free download for one week and will remain available (as a sample issue) for the foreseeable future:

Click here and then select the Download option to get your copy.
(Caution: the "Preview" option is not entirely compatible with Informer's Adobe PDF format.)

Informer will be distributed on a subscription basis beginning in January 2009.

Issue 1 now available for download

Volume 1 Issue 1 of Informer: The Journal of American Mafia History is now available for download: CLICK HERE and select "Download" option. You will require a free PDF reader in order to view the issue. For assistance view the Informer Distribution notes.

(Known issues: The Preview option may produce garbled and poorly formatted text. We recommend against using it. The Preview is based on "iPaper" technology, which is not entirely compatible with the Adobe PDF format used for Informer.)

Contents of Issue 1

• The Mob's Worst Year: 1957


• Capone's Triggerman Kills Michigan Cop


• Newspaperman Reveals Lynch Mob Role


• A Look Back: 100 Years, 75 Years, 25 Years


• Ask the Informer: KC's DiGiovanni


• Book News and Reviews


• In the News


• Deaths

Informer would like to thank the following advertisers for participating in the journal launch: The First Vice Lord: Big Jim Colosimo and the Ladies of the Levee by Art Bilek; The Mafia and the Machine: The Story of the Kansas City Mob by Frank R. Hayde; Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia by Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon; Niagara Falls Mobtours (themobtours.com); On the Spot Journal of Crime and Law Enforcement History edited by Rick Mattix; The American Mafia History website (onewal.com). We also would like to thank our early subscribers for their support.

Don't miss upcoming issues! Subscribe using the link on this page

In the News

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents

In the News

• Gotti faces federal murder, drug charges
• Appeals court throws out NJ racketeer convictions
• Murdered restaurateur linked to Bonanno clan
• FBI doubles reward for Whitey Bulger info
• Bonanno Family members indicted for racketeering
• FBI supports mob museum
• Two Coloradans suspected of New Jersey gangland killing
• Caught: Giuseppe Coluccio

Deaths

• Pittsburgh's Bazzano Jr.
• Chicago's Frank Schweihs
• Kansas City's Carl DeLuna

Eight pages of articles
13 photos

This issue is now available for
FREE download - Click Here

Don't miss upcoming issues! Subscribe using the link on this page

The Mob's Worst Year: 1957

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents
Feature article
Part 1 of 2

Fifty years ago, lawmakers, enforcement officials

and the American public finally became aware

of the depth and breadth of the Mafia underworld.

The Mob's Worst Year

by Thomas Hunt

Introduction:
"A single year changed everything for the American Mafia.
"Aided by vice and extortion income, by the arrival of vast numbers of Sicilian and southern Italian victims already practiced in deference to an outlaw class and by periodic rejuvenating shake-ups of its organization, the Mafia in the United States rapidly grew in wealth and power from its 19th Century origins through the first half of the 20th Century. The organization's resources and influence might have continued to grow unchecked but for the events of 1957."

Eight and a half pages article body
Three and a half pages of endnotes
13 grayscale photos.

This issue is now available for
FREE download - Click Here

Don't miss upcoming issues! Subscribe using the link on this page

Capone's triggerman kills Michigan cop

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents Feature article

'Killer' Burke links Valentine's Massacre with Berrien County

Capone's triggerman

kills Michigan cop

by Chriss Lyon

Introduction:

"Strong links between the Chicago underworld and Berrien County, Michigan, came to light in the aftermath of the February 14, 1929, St. Valentine's Day Massacre. "Before that slaughter, Berrien County had little obvious connection with Chicago mobsters other than visits by Al Capone. The Chicago gang boss was known to reserve entire floors at the Whitcomb Hotel in St. Joseph, to attend functions at the Hotel Vincent ini Benton Harbor, to partake in the fare of Benton Harbor's "Little Italy" and to stay occasionally at various area residences."

Six and a half pages article body Half page of endnotes 11 grayscale photos.

(CORRECTION: In our sidebar story - Page 22 - on the victims of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, we reported that James Clark was the brother-in-law of gang boss George "Bugs" Moran. The relationship was reported in the press accounts of the period. However, crime historian Rick Mattix tells us Clark and Moran were unrelated.)

This issue is now available for FREE download - Click Here

Don't miss upcoming issues! Subscribe using the link on this page

Book news and reviews

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents
Book news and reviews

The First Vice Lord: Big Jim Colosimo and the Ladies of the Levee
by Art Bilek.

Frank Nitti: The True Story of Chicago's Notorious 'Enforcer'
by Ronald Humble.

The Mafia and the Machine: The Story of the Kansas City Mob
by Frank R. Hayde.

The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia: 1891-1931
by David Critchley.

The Complete Public Enemy Almanac
by William Helmer and Rick Mattix.

The Case Against Lucky Luciano
by Ellen Poulsen.

Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia
by Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon.

(CORRECTION: The Informer review of Frank Nitti By Ronald Humble - Page 29 - repeats Humble's assertion that Nitti was a Sicilian. However, Nitti was born on the Italian mainland, in the village of Angri not far from Naples.)

Preview/Purchase this electronic issue through Scribd.

Preview/Purchase electronic/print issue through MagCloud.

Newspaperman reveals lynch mob role

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents
Short article

New Orleans newspaperman reveals

his role in 1891 anti-Mafia lynch-mob

Introduction:
"Sirs: I have read in the past many versions of the now famous Mafia affair, most of which were incorrect. I have never written anything about it, as I knew many of the squad were still alive and would resent it, but now that most of us are dead and I am 68, there is little chance of trouble."

Two pages article body
One grayscale photo.

This issue is now available for
FREE download - Click Here

Don't miss upcoming issues! Subscribe using the link on this page

A Look Back

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents
A Look Back

100 years ago:
NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino keeps a watchful eye on vacationing Sicilian Mafioso Raffaele Palizzolo.

75 years ago:
Philadelphia mob leaders Salvatore Sabella, John Avena and A. Domenico Pollina are acquitted of the Cocozza and Zanghi murders.

25 years ago:
New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello heads to prison. Chicago and Kansas City mobsters are accused of skimming from Vegas casinos. Joseph Bonanno begins serving a prison term.

This issue is now available for
FREE download - Click Here

Don't miss upcoming issues! Subscribe using the link on this page

Ask the Informer: KC's DiGiovanni

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Sept. 2008 Contents
Ask the Informer

Question:

"What can you tell me about the background and career of former Kansas City mobster Joseph DiGiovanni?"

This issue is now available for
FREE download - Click Here

Don't miss upcoming issues! Subscribe using the link on this page

Introducing Informer

Informer: The Journal of American Mafia History is a quarterly publication scheduled to begin circulation in fall 2008.

The journal was created to satisfy two distinct needs. The first is that of readers like you for reliable information on the American Mafia criminal society. Much of what has appeared in print to date is poorly researched, drearily written or both. You look for and you deserve history that is both interesting and accurate.

The second need is that of superior Mafia historians for a forum worthy of their efforts. Gone are the many of the true crime periodicals of yesteryear, but the drive of historians to uncover and to convey the truth remains as strong as ever.

Along with expertly researched and written historical pieces, we will strive to put the American Mafia in its proper context by presenting a collection of important current events. These news items, based on the best available sources, will be written with an eye to the continuing evolution of the American Mafia.

Informer is edited by Thomas Hunt, a veteran journalist and award-winning author. Articles are written by individuals who have exhibited a determination to uncover the truth and a knack for delivering effective prose.

Distribution

Informer is published in electronic and print magazine editions. Both are sold and distributed through the MagCloud service. Subscriptions are not provided.

Readers of the electronic edition will need a free PDF format reader to open their issues. Free readers of PDF files are available for various computer systems. The more popular readers are shown below:

Adobe PDF Reader
(Windows, Linux, Mobile, Mac)
Foxit Reader
(Windows, Linux, Mobile)
Apple Safari Web Browser
(Windows, Mac)

Select issues of Informer are available as print paperback and hardcover books through Amazon and as ebooks (Kindle and EPUB formats) through Amazon and Google Play Books.

Policy for advertising

The journal publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement for any reason. Under no circumstances will the journal accept advertisements for operational weaponry, or for any drug, medicine or dietary supplement.

Full page, half page and quarter page Display Advertisements - in color or black and white - and text-only Classified Advertisements will be accepted providing they conform to the publication’s standards. Display Ads may be placed as dividers between sections of the journal. Others will occupy an advertising section at the back of the journal. No advertising will ever appear on the front page of the journal. Classified Advertisements may occupy the final inside journal pages.

Display advertising:

• Those purchasing full page, half page or quarter page Display Advertisements will receive an electronic copy of all issues in which their advertisements appear.
• Purchasers of Display Advertisements will be required to prepay for their advertisements.
• The deadline for contracting for a Display Advertisement is 30 days before the scheduled release date of the issue. The publisher may, at his discretion, extend the deadline for prepaid Display Advertisements.
• In order to meet the Display Advertising deadline, the advertiser must provide the journal publisher with an electronic or camera-ready printed copy of the desired advertisement. Full page ads must be 7.75 inches wide and 10.25 inches tall at a resolution of 300 dpi for normal page borders or 8.25 inches wide and 10.75 inches tall (with no text or critical component falling within a quarter-inch of the outside margin) to extend (bleed) to the printed page edges. Horizontal half page ads must be 7.75 inches wide and 5 inches tall at a resolution of 300 dpi. Quarter page ads must be 3.75 inches wide and 5 inches tall at a resolution of 300 dpi. 
• If available, advertisers may obtain inside front cover or inside back cover placement of their full page advertisements for an additional 50% charge.

Classified advertising:

• The deadline for a Classified Advertisement is 30 days before the scheduled release date of the issue.
• The type size, style and capitalization in Classified Advertisements will be selected by the journal publisher. Type size will fall in the range of 9 points to 12 points.

Design fee:

• Advertisers can arrange with the journal publisher to have a Display Advertisement designed to their specifications. A design fee will be assessed for that work, with the advertiser responsible to pay a 50 percent deposit before work begins and the balance upon satisfactory completion of the ad.

To obtain the journal's current advertising price list and up-to-date policy statements, send an email to informerjournal@gmail.com.

(Last updated 4 April 2015.)

Policy for article/photo submissions

The journal publisher reserves the right to reject any submitted item that in his opinion does not meet the standards of the journal.

Feature articles:

• Feature article length will vary from a minimum of about 2,500 words. The allowable article length will be determined in large part by the historical importance of the subject matter and the editor's judgment of its value to a particular issue of Informer.
• Feature articles generally will be expected to include detailed endnotes, citing reliable source(s) for all statements of fact. Writers may elect to refer to their sources within the article body instead of including notes.
• Statements of opinion within a feature article will be clearly presented as opinion.
  
• With the approval of the editor, articles may be presented in an issue as columns, representing the viewpoint and opinions of the writer. These will be formatted differently from feature articles. Columns need not include source citations, but writers of columns may include them. Columns are reserved for writers identified by the editor as having expertise in a subject area.
  
• Book excerpt and previously published material may be submitted as a feature article providing the author/submitter holds the copyright for the work or obtains the written consent of the copyright holder for running the material in the journal.
• Articles will be submitted in an electronic format which meets the mutual needs of the journal publisher and the author. Queries/articles may be emailed to informerjournal@gmail.com .
• Prior to acceptance of an article for publication, the article will be checked by the journal editor for accuracy. It will be edited for readability and style. Informer has no specific style requirements, but the editor will ensure that style is appropriate for the subject matter.
• Upon acceptance, the article’s writer may be offered compensation in the form of payment through the PayPal service, and/or a complimentary print or electronic copy of the issue, and/or advertising discounts. The type and amount of payment will be determined through agreement between the writer and the publisher (some factors influencing the amount of offered compensation will be the existence of photos or other artwork, any previous publication of the submitted article, the originality of the article and the depth of the research that went into it).
  
• The writer's acceptance of the offered compensation will entitle the journal publisher to use of the article within a single journal issue - including printed magazine, electronic magazine, printed book and electronic book formats - to use a portion of the article to promote the journal issue through social media, web blogs and other media. Any other uses of the article may be negotiated separately between the publisher and the author.
• The writer retains all rights to the submitted work beyond the rights conveyed to Informer for publication as described above. While the original form of the article remains the property of the writer, the writer will never make use of the Informer-edited/rewritten version of the article text in any other publication, as the revisions will remain the property of Informer.

Other articles / letters:

• Smaller articles or letters of about 700-1000 words will be considered for publication.
• These items should focus on a very narrow subject area.
• Smaller articles and letters need not include endnotes. However, writers are expected either to describe their sources within the text or to provide the journal editor with a separate list of sources for verification.
• No compensation other than a by-line will be offered for these small articles and letters.

Photographs:

• Photographs related to feature articles will be run in such a way as to not interfere with the flow of the article text. If a photograph is run across the width of an entire page, it will occupy the entire page or the very top or very bottom of the page. If it is run at one-column width, it will be run at the top or bottom of the column or it will be placed at the center of the page to allow both columns of text to flow around it.
• To be included in the journal, photographs must be legally in the public domain, or they must belong to the writer of the related article and be provided to the journal by the writer for publication, or they must qualify for Fair Use by depicting some element of importance to the article. Writers are encouraged to provide source information for submitted images.