{"product_id":"true-crime-detective-magazines-1924-1969-45th-ed","title":"True Crime Detective Magazines. 1924–1969. 45th Ed.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the height of the Jazz Age, when Prohibition was turning ordinary citizens into criminals and ordinary criminals into celebrities, America’s true crime detective magazines were born. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eTrue Detective\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e came first in 1924, and by 1934, when the Great Depression had produced colorful outlaws like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eMachine Gun Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eJohn Dillinger\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the magazines were so popular cops and robbers alike vied to see themselves on the pages. Even FBI boss \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eJ. Edgar Hoover\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e wrote regularly for what came to be called the “Dickbooks,” referring to a popular slang term for a detective.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the decades rolled on, the magazines went through a curious metamorphosis, however. When liquor was once more legal, the Depression over and all the flashy criminals dead or imprisoned, the “detectives” turned to sin to make sales. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eSexy bad girls in tight sweaters, slit skirts, and stiletto heels adorned every cover\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eTrue Crime Detective Magazines\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efollows the evolution and devolution of this distinctly American genre from 1924 to 1969.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Hundreds of covers and interior images from dozens of magazine titles tell the story, not just of the “detectives,” but also of America’s attitudes towards sex, sin, crime, and punishment over five decades. With texts by magazine collector \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eEric Godtland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eGeorge Hagenauer\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eTrue Detective\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e editor \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eMarc Gerald\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eTrue Crime Detective Magazines\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is an informative and entertaining look at one of the strangest publishing niches of all time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eby Eric Godtland (Author), Dian Hanson (Editor)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHardcover, 512 Pages, Published July 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TASCHEN BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47984990814395,"sku":"9783754402856","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0548\/0444\/7419\/files\/81hgdGnjyQL._SL1500.jpg?v=1782070231","url":"https:\/\/shop.skirball.org\/products\/true-crime-detective-magazines-1924-1969-45th-ed","provider":"Audrey's Museum Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}