Early American Crime

I am putting together a list of the top ten history books about crime and punishment, and I would like you to participate!

Nominations are open to any book that deals with crime history, regardless of place (in other words, it does not have to be limited to American crime history). Books should be historical in nature, so as great as Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is, it really falls under the “True Crime” genre and not crime history.

Please list your nominations in the Comments section of this post, along with a brief explanation for why each one you list is your favorite. I will review the results and put together a top ten list next week.

Blog post follow up: Here is my list of the ten best history books about crime and punishment.