June 2015 issue preview

Here's a look at the cover of the next issue of Informer (release date is June 19).

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Summer issue deadlines

The summer 2015 issue of Informer will be released on or before June 18, 2015. As usual, it will be available for online purchase in electronic and print editions. Deadlines:

• The editorial deadline - last day for submissions of articles, images, letters - will be April 17, 2015.
• The advertising deadline will be May 15, 2015.

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November 2014 Issue of Informer

November 2014 Issue Contents
Editorial

The January 1947 escape of nine inmates from Brooklyn’s aging Raymond Street Jail added to the facility’s reputation as a “Swiss cheese” prison. Alarmed New Yorkers paid close attention to law enforcement efforts to round up the escapees and demanded that a more modern institution be built to hold Brooklyn prisoners. However, the public’s short attention span permitted long construction delays for what ultimately turned out to be an undersized facility, and the deteriorating Raymond Street building remained in use for sixteen more years. In this issue, Thomas Hunt examines the 1947 escape and other sensational escapes from Raymond Street and outlines the series of official missteps that grew the prison’s “Swiss cheese” reputation (PREVIEW).

For a time, it must have seemed to law enforcement officials that they were battling the ghosts or doppelgangers of “Pretty Boy” Floyd and Adam Richetti. Jeffery S. King looks at the lives, careers and deaths of bank robbers and cop-killers George McKeever and  Francis McNeiley (PREVIEW).

Also in this issue:

• An excerpt from Christian Cipollini’s new book, Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend (PREVIEW).
• Richard N. Warner concludes his Warner Files series on Religion and the Mafia (PREVIEW).
• Ryan Artis reviews The Mob and the City by C. Alexander Hortis (PREVIEW).
• Thomas Hunt discusses a traditional publisher bias and reviews The Milwaukee Mafia by Gavin Schmitt and Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend by Christian Cipollini (PREVIEW).

76 pages, including covers and advertisements.

Preview/purchase electronic and print editions through MagCloud.

Brooklyn's 'Swiss Cheese Prison'

November 2014 Issue Contents
Feature

Unlearned lessons permit 1947 breakout

from the old Raymond Street Jail

Nine escape Brooklyn’s

“Swiss cheese prison”

By Thomas Hunt

"Anthony DiGiovanna approached the guard at Raymond Street Jail’s gate on Ashland Place and handed him a couple of slips of paper. The slips had been signed by the Brooklyn district attorney and granted attorney DiGiovanna access to two clients held within the jail, Joseph Caiazzo and Christopher 'Spud' Elsis. It was just before one o’clock in the afternoon of January 2, 1947..."

33 pages including 4 pages of notes and 24 photographs

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Pretty Boy Floyd #2

November 2014 Issue Contents
Feature

The Crimes of George McKeever

and Francis McNeiley 

Pretty Boy Floyd #2

By Jeffery S. King

George McKeever

"Bank robbers and killers George McKeever and Francis McNeiley contributed substantially to the legends of far better known outlaws Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd and Adam Richetti. For a time, it seemed that Floyd and Richetti had doppelgangers..."

16 pages including one page of notes and 11 photographs

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Book Excerpt: 'Self-Inflicted Wounds'

November 2014 Issue Contents
Feature

A woman’s early-morning call for help

triggers Luciano-related scandal

Self-Inflicted Wounds

By Christian Cipollini

Jean Bell

[An excerpt from Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend by Christian Cipollini.]
"In the early morning hours of Sunday July 12, 1936, a muffled plea for help came across Washington D.C. area phone lines.  Hearing the faint desperate request, a quick acting switchboard operator called the police, summoning them to an apartment building located at 1230 New Hampshire Avenue. Responders accustomed to the otherwise shocking images of crimes and injuries were in for a very extraordinary situation when they arrived..."

7 pages with 5 photographs

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The Warner Files: Religion and the Mafia, Part 3

November 2014 Issue Contents
Column

The Warner Files:

Religion and the Mafia, Part 3

By Richard N. Warner

"In this series, we looked over how certain academics considered belief in the existence of the Mafia to be akin to having blind religious faith (from their point of view) and we looked at examples of personal religious faith among former organized crime figures, whether authentic or disingenuous. Now, for the final chapter in this series, we’ll consider charges that the Mafia is in its essence anti-religious, anti-Christian or anti-clerical (they are not the same)..."

5 pages.

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Book Review: The Mob and the City

November 2014 Issue Contents
Books

'The Mob and the City'

Book Review by Ryan Artis

"In The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York by author C. Alexander Hortis, I found a book that was not quite what I expected. I initially thought the primary focus would be dispelling long-held Mafia myths. While the book does address some of these myths and works toward setting the record straight, the work’s true strength is its examination of the business practices of the Mafia..."

2 pages.

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Just One More Thing: Publishing Bias

November 2014 Issue Contents
Column

Just One More Thing:

Tackling an old bias

By Thomas Hunt

"For a very long time - too long a time - serious underworld histories and more superficial popular culture approaches to the subject of organized crime have been built upon a pronounced regional bias. That slanted foundation appears to be the result of a conclusion by traditional publishing companies that the largest markets for organized crime works (and regionally focused works in general) exist in New York City and Chicago, and to a lesser degree in Los Angeles..."

5 pages.

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Saluting our many contributors

The following writers have contributed articles to and/or have been interviewed for Informer over the past six years.

• Ryan Artis, book reviewer and interviewer.
• Arthur Bilek, author of The First Vice Lord.
• Deirdre Marie Capone, author of Uncle Al Capone.
• Christian Cipollini, author of Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend.
• David Critchley, author of The Origin of Organized Crime in America.
• Scott Deitche, author of The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jr.
• Patrick Downey, author of Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld, 1900-1935.
• Justin Dugard, organized crime historian.
• Bill Feather, organized crime historian.
• Oscar Goodman, author of Being Oscar: From Mob Lawyer to Mayor of Las Vegas.
• Sandra Harmon, author of Mafia Son: The Scarpa Mob Family, the FBI and a Story of Betrayal.
• William J. Helmer, author of Al Capone and His American Boys.
• Joshua R. Henze, organized crime historian.
• Alex Hortis, author of The Mob and the City.
• Thomas Hunt, coauthor of DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime.
• Thom L. Jones, organized crime historian.
• Jeffery S. King, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dillinger Gang.
• Craig Lockwood, coauthor of King of the Sunset Strip.
• Chriss Lyon, author of A Killing in Capone's Playground.
• Rick Mattix, coauthor of The Complete Public Enemy Almanac.
• Arthur Nash, author of Images of America: New York City Gangland.
• Gregory Peduto, writer and historian.
• Rick Porrello, author of The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia.
• Ellen Poulsen, author of The Case Against Lucky Luciano: New York's Most Sensational Vice Trial.
• Marina Riggio, genealogist, contributor to articles.
• Angelo Santino, organized crime historian.
• Gavin Schmitt, author of Images of America: Milwaukee Mafia.
• Richard Shaw, crime historian.
• Martha Sheldon, coauthor of Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia.
• Steve Stevens, coauthor of King of the Sunset Strip.
• Michael A. Tona, coauthor of DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime.
• Steve Turner, organized crime historian.
• Edmond Valin, investigative researcher, organized crime historian.
• Lennert Van`t Riet, organized crime historian.
• Richard N. Warner, columnist, reviewer, interviewer, organized crime historian.

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November 2014 issue preview

Here's a peek at the cover of the November 2014 issue of Informer. Scheduled release date is Nov. 17 (but it probably will be available earlier).

Contents:

• Nine escape from Brooklyn's "Swiss cheese" jail,
• Police battle "Pretty Boy" Floyd's double,
• Excerpt from Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend,
• Warner Files: Religion and the Mafia, Part 3,
• Book reviews of The Mob and the City by C. Alexander Hortis, The Milwaukee Mafia by Gavin Schmitt, Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend by Christian Cipollini.

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Informer issues to date

Informer has published twenty-two issues since September 2008. Over that time, the publication's 1,592 pages have featured groundbreaking discoveries by some of the finest crime historians in the field. Here is a list of the issues with brief descriptions of their contents.

22. 2014 May (108 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/739915
For the first time, Informer dedicates an entire issue to exploring a single topic

• The Early New York Mafia: An Alternative Theory by Richard Warner, Angelo Santino and Lennert van`t Riet

Note: Due to the complexity of some of the maps and diagrams in this issue and the limited capacity of the print edition to present them, Informer has provided print edition readers with online images at this address http://informer-journal.blogspot.com/p/new-york-mafia-alternative-theory-may.html

21. 2014 January (116 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/683292

• Brooklyn Miracle? The Regina Pacis Crowns by Thomas Hunt
• The Ascent of Vito Genovese by Lennert van`t Riet, David Critchley and Steve Turner
• Detroit Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Obituary: Vito Rizzuto
• Fifty Years Ago: The Warren Commision, Oswald and the FBI

20. 2013 October (68 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/633085

• Ruffino and the White Slave Trade by Joshua R. Henze
• Pandemonium in the Courtroom: An Excerpt from Diary of a Motor City Hit Man by Christian Cipollini
• Los Angeles Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Book Review of Diary of a Motor City Hit Man
• Book Announcement: DiCarlo Biography Revises Buffalo Underworld History
• Warner Files: Religion and the Mafia, Part 2.

19. 2013 July (88 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/591112

• The Life and Crimes of 'Diamond Joe' Esposito by Lennert van`t Riet and David Critchley
• Bootleg Poison by Thomas Hunt and Michael A. Tona
• Buffalo Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Gangland Profile: Frank Bonomo by J. Dugard
• Warner Files: Oscar Being Oscar - An Interview with Oscar Goodman
• Just One More Thing: Just When You Think It's Safe to Go Back to the Bookstore

18. 2013 April (80 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/535172

• An Informal Biography of Herbert Asbury: America's 'Chief Chronicler of Sin,' by Thomas Hunt
• Gunmen of the Castellammarese War, Part 4: Salvatore "Sally Shields" Shillitani by Lennert van`t Riet, David Critchley and Steve Turner
• Lucchese Crime Family Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Two Gambino Informants had very Different Fates by Edmond Valin
• Warner Files: God and the Mafia
• Book Review of Mafia Summit
• In the News: Whitey Bulger
• 100 Years Ago

(Note: No issue was scheduled for January 2013.)

17. 2012 October (56 pages - new digest format)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/442492

• Al Capone in St. Petersburg by Scott Deitche
• Al Capone Press Conference
• Gunmen of the Castellammarese War, Part 4: Dominick Petrelli by Lennert van't Reit, David Critchley and Steve Turner
• Tampa Mafia Membership Chart 1920s-1940s by Bill Feather
• Bay-Area Informants by Edmond Valin
• Warner Files: New York Mobster Reading List by Richard N. Warner

16. 2012 July - Wisconsin focus (108 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/413263

• Vito Guardalabene and the Early Milwaukee Mafia by Joshua R. Henze
• Underworld Interest in Wisconsin Cheese by Gavin Schmitt
• Counterfeiters Captured in Milwaukee, 1908-09, by Joshua R. Henze
• Milwaukee-Area Mafia Membership Chart 1920s-1950s by Bill Feather
• Gunmen of the Castellammarese War, Part 3: Girolamo Santuccio by Lennert van't Reit, David Critchley and Steve Turner
• Book Review of Legs Diamond
• Warner Files: New York Underworld Reading List by Richard N. Warner
• News: Henry Hill obit

15. 2012 April - Charlie Luciano focus (100 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/366261

• Last Word on the Last Testament by Richard N. Warner
• Charlie Lucky's Life by Thomas Hunt
• Gunmen of the Castellammarese War, Part 2: Steve Rannelli by Lennert van't Reit, David Critchley and Steve Turner
• Philly Mob Informants by Edmond Valin
• Genovese Mafia Membership Chart 1950s-1960s by Bill Feather
• Warner Files: Capone Reading List by Richard N. Warner
• Dead Guys in Suits: Soggy Sendoffs by Patrick Downey

14. 2012 January - Profaci-Colombo focus (68 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/321263

• Profaci's Rise by Thomas Hunt
• Colombo Crime Family Profiles by Justin Dugard
• Colombo Violence Timeline by Justin Dugard
• Profaci-Colombo Mafia Membership Chart 1950s-1960s by Bill Feather
• JFK Plot Investigators Examine Profaci-Colombo Clan
• Gunmen of the Castellammarese War, Part 1: Sebastiano Domingo by David Critchley
• Interview of Sandra Harmon (Interviewed by Ryan Artis)
• Book Review of We're Going to Win This Thing
• Book Review of The Boston Mob Guide

13. 2011 October - New England focus (76 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/273306

• History of the New England Mafia, Part 2, by Richard N. Warner
• The Crimes of Tommy Carroll by Jeffery S. King
• Raymond Patriarca, "The Man," by Thomas Hunt
• Profaci Mafia Membership Chart 1900s-1940s by Bill Feather
• Later Chicago Outfit Informants by Edmond Valin
• Warner Files: More Hoover Myths by Richard N. Warner
• Dead Guys in Suits: Flaming Finales by Patrick Downey
• Mob Corner by Thom L. Jones
• Book Review of Al Capone and His American Boys

12. 2011 July (56 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/208779

• Mafia Denials Plague FBI's Hoover by Alex Hortis
• History of the New England Mafia, Part 1, by Richard N. Warner
• Social Clubs of Federal Hill by "Wisconsin Kid"
• New England Mafia Chart by Bill Feather and Thomas Hunt
• Roemer's Chicago Outfit Informants by Edmond Valin
• Warner Files: Hoover Myths by Richard N. Warner
• Dead Guys in Suits: Brothers Killed by Patrick Downey
• Just One More Thing by Thomas Hunt

11. 2011 April - Northeastern Pennsylvania focus (64 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/174750

• Men of Montedoro by Thomas Hunt and Michael A. Tona
• Daring 1870 Bank Robbery in Scranton
• Sicilian Miners Battle Black Handers by Thomas Hunt
• Capones Reach the Promised Land by Deirdre Marie Capone
• Northeast Pennsylvania Mafia Chart by Bill Feather
• Warner Files: Sources by Richard N. Warner
• Dead Guys in Suits: Sack Murders by Patrick Downey
• Book Review of Young Al Capone
• Book Review of Lucky Luciano: The Real and the Fake Gangster

10. 2011 January (84 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/153681

• A Test of Resolve: The 1932 Murder of Pittsburgh Boss John Bazzano by Thomas Hunt and Michael A. Tona
• The Last Days of the Brady Gang by Richard Shaw
• Warner Files: Giuseppe Masseria by Richard N. Warner
• Genovese Mafia Membership Chart 1930s-1970s by Bill Feather
• Interview of Bill Helmer (Interviewed by Ellen Poulsen)
• A Tribute to Rick Mattix

09. 2010 October (60 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/112621

• Al Capone's Long Stay in Philly by Thomas Hunt
• Eastern State Penitentiary by Gregory Peduto
• A Room for Two: Winkeler and Moran by Chriss Lyon
• FBI Investigates Counterfeit Capone Tale
• Pennsylvania Crime Syndicates
• Al Capone and Nucky Johnson Photo Controversy by Thomas Hunt
• Philadelphia Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Interview of Arthur Nash
• Book Review of Sergeant Smack
• Television: Boardwalk Empire

08. 2010 July - Mafia of the South focus (60 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/94457

• DiGiorgio - First Crime Boss of Los Angeles? by Richard N. Warner
• The Mafia of Dallas by Thomas Hunt
• America's First Mafia War by Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon
• Texas Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• New Orleans Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Book Review of Mr. New Orleans
• Book Review of Gangsters of Miami
• News: Rivals Move Against Rizzutos, Vegas "Mob Experience," Joseph Gato obit, Frank Colacurcio obit

07. 2010 April - Morello Mob focus (80 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/63693

• Comito's Story by Antonio Comito
• Morello-Lupo Imprisonment Timeline
• Witnesses for the Defense (Counterfeiting trial)
• Mafia Boss of Bosses Despairs in Prison by Thomas Hunt
• Nemesis of Counterfeiters: William Flynn by Thomas Hunt
• Gambino Mafia Membership Chart 1910s-1940s by Bill Feather
• Ask Informer: Morello Mob Descendants

06. 2010 January - Cleveland focus (56 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/52053

• To Kill the Irishman by Rick Porrello
• 1928 Mafia Convention by Thomas Hunt and Michael A. Tona
• The Masserias of Cleveland by Richard N. Warner
• Cleveland Mafia Membership Chart 1930s-1950s by Bill Feather
• Interview of Rick Porrello
• Ask Informer: Dr. Giuseppe Romano
• News: John A. Gotti Hung Jury, New England Mafia, Gregory DePalma obit

05. 2009 October (56 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/37426

• Castro and the Casinos by Thomas Hunt
• Jack Ruby Visits Havana
• Buccellato's Bushwick Crew by Justin Dugard
• Early Bonanno Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Interview of Martha Macheca Sheldon
• Book Review of The Mad Ones
• Book Review of The Canary Sang But Couldn't Fly
• Ask Informer: William Flynn
• News: Lucchese Clan Clobbered, John A. Gotti, Anastasia Nephew, Anthony St. Laurent, Angelo Prisco, Gennaro Angiulo obit, Burton Kaplan obit

04. 2009 July (48 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/23974

• 1909 Mafia Murder in Danbury, CT, by Thomas Hunt
• Maranzano Muddle by David Critchley
• My First Dinner with Mickey Cohen by Steve Stevens and Craig Lockwood
• Pittsburgh Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Interview of Patrick Downey
• Book Review of The First Family
• Book Review of Mafia Son
• Ask Informer: John Gotti
• News: Carmen DiNunzio Pleads Guilty, Bonanno Crew in Florida, Alfonso Tornabene obit, Donato Angiulo obit

03. 2009 April - Chicago focus (56 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/9546

• The Dreaded D'Andrea by Richard N. Warner
• Chicago's Early Mafia Bosses by Thomas Hunt
• 80 Years Since the Valentine's Day Massacre
• Chicago Outfit Membership Chart 1920s-40s by Bill Feather
• Interview of Art Bilek
• Ask Informer: Chicago Heights Mafia
• Book Review of The Origin of Organized Crime in America
• News: Family Secrets Sentences, Charles Carneglia

02. 2009 January (56 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/5921

• Martyr: Joseph Petrosino by Thomas Hunt
• The Mob's Worst Year - 1957, Part 2 by Thomas Hunt
• Interview of Scott Deitche
• Kansas City Mafia Membership Chart by Bill Feather
• Book Review of Open City
• Book Review of The Last Undercover
• Ask Informer: Saverio Pollaccia, Society of the Banana
• News: Top 10 Stories of 2008, Frank Rosenthal obit, Salvatore Scala obit, Frank Valenti obit, Anthony Spero obit.

01. 2008 September (48 pages)

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3839

• The Mob's Worst Year - 1957, Part 1 by Thomas Hunt
• Capone's Triggerman Kills Michigan Cop by Chriss Lyon
• Newspaperman Reveals Lynch Mob Role by Thomas Hunt
• Interview of David Critchley
• Book Review of Frank Nitti
• Book Review of The Mafia and the Machine
• Book Review of The First Vice Lord
• Book Review of The Complete Public Enemy Almanac
• Ask Informer: Joe DiGiovanni
• News: John A. Gotti, James "Whitey" Bulger, John Bazzano Jr. obit, Frank Schweihs obit, Carl DeLuna obit.

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May 2014 Issue of Informer

May 2014 Issue Contents
Editorial

It would be both foolish and profoundly egotistical for any historian to believe that he or she had penned the “final word” on a subject. History is always being revised and expanded. New sources become available. New perspectives are applied to data. One historian's discoveries spark another's discoveries. That, really, is what makes the field of study exciting and alive.

A historian may be of far greater use for attempting to write the first word on a subject or a completely new interpretation of available data. Such an achievement revitalizes the field, as it sends colleagues scrambling to comprehend its ramifications, to compare the new account to source material, to contest its validity or to accept it as part of a foundation for future research.

To date, revisions of early New York Mafia history have focused generally on enhancing the stories within a traditional framework of accepted history. The technological revolution has aided immeasurably our search for more and better data on the formative era of organized crime in New York, and vast amounts of information have come to light in very recent years.

Some of that newly mined information has been absorbed easily into the traditional narrative. But much of it has not fit and has frustratingly resisted incorporation into the old accounts. Those with confidence in the new data have been forced to conclude that the traditional history is somehow inaccurate and/or incomplete.

This entire issue of Informer is dedicated to presenting a single work — a lengthy article by Richard Warner, Angelo Santino and Lennert Van`t Riet —  that attempts to formulate a coherent, new historical theory around all we currently know of the early New York Mafia (PREVIEW). Researching, writing and illustrating it has been an enormous project for them. Preparing it for publication and presenting it in this issue has been no small matter for Informer. But we are satisfied that the efforts are all worthwhile.

While documenting how far our knowledge of the early Mafia has progressed, the article challenges us to see things in a new way, to consider the possibilities presented by recent discoveries and to commit ourselves anew to the exciting work of history.

108 magazine pages, including cover and advertisements.

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Early NY Mafia - an alternative theory

May 2014 Issue Contents
Feature Article

Sicilian hometown allegiance and kinship ties

may have played larger roles in early Mafia

development than previously thought

The Early New York Mafia:

An Alternative Theory

by Richard Warner, Angelo Santino and Lennert Van`t Riet.

"Much of what has been widely accepted as early New York City Mafia history hinges on a particular interpretation of a small collection of source material. As availability of sources from that early era has improved, additional interpretations have become possible. It now appears that many of the long-accepted 'facts' and the history that has been woven from them may have been flawed. We cannot know what additional revelations the future may hold, so it is unlikely that our analysis of existing materials will be 'the final word' written on this subject. However, it is important to document the additional clues that recently have come to light and to fit a workable interpretation to the new data as a starting point for future research..."

100 pages, including 21 images, 21 maps and tables, and 12 and a half pages of notes.

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MagCloud moves to Blurb

MagCloud, the HP Labs service that has produced and distributed Informer's print edition since the fall of 2008, is becoming a part of independent book publishing platform Blurb. HP announced the transition on May 6, 2014, predicting that magazine publishers will benefit from greater creative control, expanded distribution and more competitive pricing.

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