Gangland: The early years - James Morton

The early years of gangland culture was an era filled with remarkable characters on both sides of the Atlantic: Marm Mandelbaum, the Queen of New York receivers; and 'General' Abe Sheedy, who ran a nationwide gang of pickpockets; Harry 'The Valet' Thomas, who stole the Duchess of Sutherland's jewels; and 'The Emperor' Adam Worth, the man who stole - but could not sell - the painting  of the Duchess of Devonshire, and who became the model for Conan Doyle's Moriarty.

But the criminals were gearing up for modern times, so too were those on the side of good: 1850 saw the opening of Allan Pinkerton's famous detective agency; in new York, police officer Thomas Byrnes devised the so-called Third Degree; in France, Alphonse Bertillon was developing a system of identification. Morton describes the popular crimes of the times from robberies in which butchers' carts with their fast horses were the equivalent of today's getaway cars.

And if all else failed, then criminals could write their memoirs - more than a century before the likes of 'Mad' Frankie Fraser put pen to paper.

Meticulously researched and highly readable, Gangland: The early years explores the origins of organised crime - the foundations on which the Krays and the Mafia would build their empire world.