For centuries, human-kind has been fascinated, at times even obsessed, with criminals, their crimes and their victims. Things have changed little over the years, as one only has to look at a daily newspaper or television news program to see what sells and it's usually crime-related. History Magazine has had many popular issues over the years, and in many cases, those issues featured a story on a famous, or even not-so-famous, dark figure or group in American history. To that end, we have collected some of the articles we consider to be the best, based on how well a particular issue sold on the newsstand and put these into our latest collection: Outlaws and Villains. American legends such as Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, Billy the Kid, Lizzie Borden, and Bonnie and Clyde are reprised here, along with lesser-known individuals, such as serial killer Herman Mudgett, and Milt Sharp, better known as the Polite Bandit. We've also included our story on San Francisco's Alcatraz prison that once held some of America's most despicable villains, including Al Capone, George Kelly, and the famed Bird Man of Alcatraz, Robert Stroud. Our inclusion of David Norris history of Buffalo Bill, aka, William F. Cody, is meant to give some perspective on how the Wild West shows, as a form of entertainment, were used in part to stage rather elaborate events in the name of history. These often depicted soldiers and Indians fighting mock battles, or gangs of outlaws attacking stage coaches. Cody's shows were certainly all about the entertainment, but they also provided an escape for an audience thirsty for a thrill, regardless of truth or fiction. What is certain is that all of the above have transcended the years and still speak to our own insatiable curiosity toward crime and villainy. It seems, even in current times, we can never get enough.
Ed Zapletal, editor
2011, paper, 56 pp.
ISBN: 9780978159290
101-Z3929
