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Jan 25, 2012 · Little Caesar. by. Burnett, W. R. (William Riley), 1899-. Publication date. 1958. Publisher. New York, Dial Press. Collection. illinoishistoryandlincoln; university_of_illinois_urbana-champaign; americana.
W. R. Burnett. William Riley Burnett (November 25, 1899 – April 25, 1982) was an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for the crime novel Little Caesar, the film adaptation of which is considered the first of the classic American gangster movies.
Often billed as the first gangster novel, Little Caesar's 1929 publication - in the aftermath of the Saint Valentine's Day massacre and at the dawn of the Great Depression - launched the career of W.R. Burnett, an oft-overlooked novelist whose crime stories generated many successful and memorable film versions.
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The book is a gritty tale of the rise and fall of a small-time hoodlum who becomes a powerful gangster in the criminal underworld. Set in the Prohibition era, it follows the ambitious and ruthless protagonist as he climbs the ranks of organized crime, driven by a desire for power and recognition.
1929. The world's first gangster novel. Little Caesar follows the rise and fall of Rico in the crime world as he flees to Chicago and ultimately to his violent end. The book begins: Sam Vettori sat staring down into Halsted Street. He was a big man, fat as a hog, with a dark oily complexion, kinky black hair and a fat aquiline face. In repose ...
May 1, 2005 · Paperback. $10.75 13 Used from $5.00 6 New from $10.75 3 Collectible from $14.99. Mass Market Paperback. $24.10 4 Used from $20.00. 1929. The world's first gangster novel. Little Caesar follows the rise and fall of Rico in the crime world as he flees to Chicago and ultimately to his violent end.
- W. R. Burnett
