On the Take, Second Edition: From Petty Crooks to Presidents Book

William Chambliss' work here is an unprecedented explication of organized crime, and a fascinating, vivid portrait of Seattle during the boom years in the 1960s. The Emerald City of the whizz-bang 1962 Worlds Fair becomes an LA Confidential-esque story of corruption, extortion, oppression, and violence. This story has largely been buried in the city annals, more's the pity. The text itself falls apart when it reaches into conjecture and the inter continental criminality, but it's still a must-read for anyone interested in Seattle history. Every time I walk by Vito's, I can't help but be reminded of this incredible, eye-opening ethnography of the bad old days in the Emerald City.