"NYC Gangland" Author & Archivist Arthur Nash at History Project

The Coney Island History Project is pleased to welcome author and archivist Arthur Nash on Saturday, September 4, during exhibition center hours (1-6 pm). Mr Nash will record an interview with Charles Denson for our Oral History Archive and sign copies of his new book "New York City Gangland" (Images of America Series - Arcadia Publishing.)

Stop by the History Project to meet the author and look at never-before-seen photos of famed New York City gangsters with Coney Island connections. Among them are Al Capone, who got his nickname "Scarface" when he worked in Coney Island; Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, a hit man for Murder Inc who fell to his death from the window of Coney Island's Half Moon Hotel; and Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, head of the largest Mafia group in New York until he was gunned down in 1931. Many of the photos in the book come from the families of mobsters and law enforcement sources.

Arthur Nash is a freelance archivist and a major contributor of historical objects to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C., as well as the Las Vegas Museum of Law Enforcement and Organized Crime, also known as the MOB Museum. In 2006, he introduced "MADE In America," the first public exhibition addressing gangland's enduring impact on our nation's pop culture. Mr Nash is a former resident of Seagate whose grandfather rode the Cyclone roller coaster with Marilyn Monroe.

"New York City Gangland is the eye-catching crown jewel of Mafia history. A superlative record of the mob's luminaries and events, and proof positive that a unique photo is more captivating than thousands of words" -Selwyn Raab, NY Times columnist & author of "Five Families."