"Little Caesar" is a seminal hardboiled crime novel that defined the gangster genre in American literature. The story follows the meteoric rise and inevitable fall of Cesare "Rico" Bandello, a small-time hoodlum with ruthless ambitions who moves to Chicago to seek power within the city's criminal underworld. As Rico claws his way to the top of the Vanezzi gang, he must navigate the internal betrayals of his associates and the relentless pursuit of the law. This work captures the gritty atmosphere of the Prohibition era, ... Read More
"Little Caesar" is a seminal hardboiled crime novel that defined the gangster genre in American literature. The story follows the meteoric rise and inevitable fall of Cesare "Rico" Bandello, a small-time hoodlum with ruthless ambitions who moves to Chicago to seek power within the city's criminal underworld. As Rico claws his way to the top of the Vanezzi gang, he must navigate the internal betrayals of his associates and the relentless pursuit of the law. This work captures the gritty atmosphere of the Prohibition era, offering a psychological portrait of a man driven by a singular desire for dominance. Known for its lean, punchy prose and stark realism, the novel explores themes of loyalty, vanity, and the violent consequences of the American Dream gone wrong. "Little Caesar" remains a cornerstone of the noir tradition, having set the template for the modern crime saga and inspired generations of authors and filmmakers with its raw depiction of urban depravity and the dark side of ambition. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. Read Less
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $10.68, good condition, Sold by Poquette's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dewitt, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Carroll & Graf Pub.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $16.95, very good condition, Sold by Ageless Pages rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Cottonwood, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 1929 by Literary Guild of America.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $17.00, fair condition, Sold by Voyageur Book Shop rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 1929 by The Literary Guild of America.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. No Dust Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Tall 308pp. Literary Guild edition. Green boards. The publicity portions of the dust jacket are pasted to the inside of the front book board. Stains on the spine. K.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $24.96, fair condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Acceptable. Acceptable condition. No Dust Jacket Former Library book. (mystery fiction, detective and mystery stories ) A readable, intact copy that may have noticeable tears and wear to the spine. All pages of text are present, but they may include extensive notes and highlighting or be heavily stained. Includes reading copy only books.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $27.00, like new condition, Sold by King Crab Books LLC rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Paul, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by No Exit Press.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $27.00, very good condition, Sold by Between the Covers-Rare Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester City, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1929 by The Literary Guild of America.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Reprint. Reprint. Very good, front hinge cracked, bookplate on front fly, off-setting to front pastedown, spine faded, spine ends worn. Lacking Dustwrapper.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $29.57, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2026 by Tradd Street Press.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $29.70, very good condition, Sold by Bookwitch rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Concord, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1929 by Literary Guild Of America, New York (1929).
Publisher:
Literary Guild Of America, New York (1929)
Published:
1929
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
13354169766
Shipping Options:
Standard Shipping: $4.88
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Book 12 mo., hardcover, VG in green boards with black lettering and design. No dj. Published in 1929. "The first law of every being, is to preserve itself and live. You sow hemlock, and expect to see ears of corn ripen."-Macchiavelli; the work of a crime novelist whose work has not received the critical appreciation it deserves, possibly because of his Hollywood "connection.". 308 deckled pages.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $30.00, very good condition, Sold by Bungalow Books, ABAA rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pueblo, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1958 by Dial Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good in Good dust jacket. Reprint. Black cloth spine over red boards. A stain to the rear board and bottom page edges. The dust jacket has chipping to the spine, and tape repair to the verso of the rear panel and flap. An unmarked copy with the publisher's price of $3.50 on the front flap. The gangster classic that ushered in a new American genre.; 255 pages.
Add this copy of Little Caesar to cart. $32.00, good condition, Sold by King Crab Books LLC rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Paul, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1945 by Avon (66).
W. R. Burnett's Little Caesar is the original gangster novel, and still one of the best. Set in Chicago in the 1920's--a time and place the author knew well from his work as a reporter--the novel traces the rise and fall of the title character, gangster Cesare Bandello (known as Rico). Burnett's treatment of Rico, while not unsympathetic, is gritty and unsparing in its realism. The title of the novel provides an ironic frame for the action: like Shakespeare's Caesar, Rico falls as a result of hubris, the classic downfall of a tragic hero. And indeed it is not farfetched to see a tragic dimension to Rico's rise and fall; he is the quintessential tragic anti-hero. The novel has been somewhat eclipsed by the deservedly famous film based upon it (a fate that happened also to Burnett's fine novel The Asphalt Jungle, also recommended), but it is well worth reading on its own merit, and indeed in many ways offers a more insightful experience.
