Larrikin crook; the rise and fall of Squizzy Taylor

by Hugh Anderson

'A fascinating study of a criminal era.' Daily Telegraph

1920s' Melbourne was a crime-ridden city in which no one was completely safe. Gangs operated in hotels and brothels, Fitzroy vendettas were resolved with guns, police were killed in armed robberies, and there were sly grog shops, protection rackets and armed robbery.

Through it all strode the notoriously ambitious crook 'Squizzy' Taylor, a celebrity gangster with a massive ego. Always one step ahead of the law with his foolproof alibis, Squizzy's daring crimes were reported in the daily press to a public fascinated by his blatant contempt for the law and larrikin wit.

In this classic portrait of one of Australia's most infamous criminal masterminds, Hugh Anderson provides a vivid portrait of a Melbourne underworld rife with gangland murder and greed.

Such is the ongoing fascination with Squizzy Taylor that he is now the subject of the latest Underbelly series.

Genres: Australia, History

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled to finish this book. It was quite dry and the stories didn’t seem to flow well.

[albie_of_nonfic · Rating 1 out of 5]

A series of disconnected episodes and crimes that do not add up to a biography.

The historical background - influenza epidemic, police strike, etc. - are largely irrelevant to the subject. They do make an interesting history of themselves, however.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. It was really slow in places and not that interesting a read.

[Ned Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Squizzy Taylor became noticed as a small time pick pocket on his way to becoming a major crime figure in 1920's Melbourne.
He survived a surprising length of time considering the number of personal risks he took.
While the book is easy to read there are gaps in the story, but then it was was approximately 85 years after his death before this book was written and research data would be light.

[Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disjointed writing, like a number of short articles, not particularly enjoyable although it put the histroy of the era into perspective.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had wanted to find out more about Squizzy Taylor so I was looking forward to this book. It is so poorly written that I couldn't even finish it; very disappointing.