Books
The full story of Al Capone is in the book, MR. CAPONE. It captures all the excitement of his extraordinary life, but with well-researched facts instead of myths and legends.
As one reviewer put it, even where the book lays to rest favorite tall tales, the true accounts are usually even more fascinating.
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The latest praise came in a New Tork Times review by James McManus of a “new” Capone book. It appeared on April 30, 2010.
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“Much of this tale is familiar from earlier books, with Robert J. Schoenberg's “MR. CAPONE” (1992) thought to be the cream of the crop.”
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Available in Large Format paperback, hardcover and eBook on Amazon.
480 pp, including
93 pp of detailed source notes
32 pp of pictures
bibliography
index
For an overview of Chicago crime, starting with Big Jim Colosimo, We recommend THE CHICAGO OUTFIT by John Binder. It includes 180 seldom-seen photos.
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For a rich collection of (often exclusive) pictures, facts and photos of artifacts—the result of a lifetime's unceasing and meticulous research into even the minutia of Capone and those somehow connected to him—we recommend the Web site of Mario Gomes: My Al Capone Museum
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For often hitherto unknown details of Capone's boyhood (with neighborhood photos) and neighbor, and for fleshed-out details of some incidents in his early career, we recommend YOUNG AL CAPONE by Bill and John Balsamo, Bill having been a prime research source for MR. CAPONE.
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Friends of Mister Capone
Check out these websites for more information about Al Capone:
Gangland Chicago - A History of the Outfit
The Chicago Syndicate
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A sampling of what critics say about MR. CAPONE:
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The New York Times: “fascinating if unsettling book…”
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Chicago Tribune: “…readers of MR. CAPONE will simply revel in the old stories…and savor any new tidbits.”
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Los Angeles Times: “…massive research…rich descriptions of many of the apocalyptic events of the roaring Chicago ’20s.”
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Chicago Sun-Times: “[rescues] his reputation from the Hollywood mythmakers…[the book’s] Al Capone is far more human, complex and worthy of attention than the one-dimensional myth.”
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The Detroit News: “…a masterful job of research…the definitive biography of one of America’s most colorful gangsters.”
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The Washington Times: “Written with style and verve…fascinating.”
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Publishers Weekly: “…fast-paced, fact-filled, behind-the scenes account…lively biography resonates with details of Capone’s dealings…”
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Chicago magazine: “…the most thorough book on Capone yet published…Attention to detail, along with a sense of the period and a delightful writing style makes MR. CAPONE a treat…”
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Kirkus Reviews: “Scholarly yet lively account…likely to endure as a standard reference…”
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Source note at end of Irish Whiskey, a novel by Andrew Greeley:
“…the atmosphere of the Prohibition era in Chicago is as authentic as I can make it. Of the many books about that time, the best I have read is MR. CAPONE by Robert J. Schoenberg.”
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Notes about article by Jack Kelly in American Heritage magazine, 4/96:
“Jack Kelly, whose story on gangster-era Chicago features the notorious Al Capone, recommends Robert J. Schoenberg’s MR. CAPONE as the finest of all Scarface biographies.”