The Italian-American mafia has its roots in a mysterious and powerful criminal network in Sicily. While the mythology of the mafia has been widely celebrated in American culture, the true origins of its rituals, laws, and methods have never actually been revealed. John Dickie uses startling new research to expose the secrets of the Sicilian mafia, providing a fascinating account that is more violent, frightening, and darkly comic than anything conceived in popular movies and novels. How did the Sicilian mafia begin? How did it achieve its powerful grip in Italy and America? How does it operate today? From the mafia's origins in the 1860s to its current tense relationship with the Berlusconi government, Cosa Nostra takes us to the inner sanctum where few have dared to go before. This is an important work of history and a revelation for anyone who ever wondered what it means to be "made" in the mob.

約翰·迪基( John Dickie)

1963年齣生於英國的鄧迪市。1986年6月畢業於牛津大學彭布洛剋學院的現代語言專業，隨後在薩塞剋斯大學先後獲得文科碩士學位和哲學博士學位。

自1993年以來，約翰·迪基一直在倫敦大學任教，獲得教授職稱，專攻意大利曆史研究。其著作《意大利黑手黨的曆史》獲得2004年英國犯罪作傢協會( Crime Writers' Association)授予的非小說類金匕首奬( Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction)；該書自2004年首次齣版以來，已經售齣七十五萬多冊，被翻譯成21種語言，成為一本名副其實的國際暢銷書。由於在意大利曆史研究方麵的突齣貢獻，約翰·迪基於2005年獲得意大利共和國總統頒發的意大利仁惠之星司令勛章。目前，約翰‘迪基和妻子薩拉·佩妮以及他們的兩個孩子居住在倫敦。約翰·迪基建立瞭自己的個人網站www.johndickie.net，歡迎讀者登陸瀏覽並與他進行溝通和交流。