The profession of violence (1972)
Reggie and Ronnie Kray ruled London's gangland during the 60s with a ruthlessness and viciousness that shocks even now. Building an empire of organised crime that has never been matched, the brothers extorted and terrorised while enjoying a glittering celebrity status at the heart of the swinging 60s, until their downfall and imprisonment for life. Many have said that this was a seminal text in the development of criminology as a discipline.
First publication: 1972 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Second publication: 2015 (William Collins)
FUN FACT: this book was allegedly more popular in prisons across the UK than the Bible! John politely declined the offer of the Chair of Criminology at a major Scottish university after this book was published.
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