The Dark Prince of Melbourne: The Short, Flashy Life of Squizzy Taylor and the Birth of Organised Crime...

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Ian W. Shaw

The Dark Prince of Melbourne

The Short, Flashy Life of Squizzy Taylor and the Birth of Organised Crime

Ian W. Shaw

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English

ABC
25 November 2025

Biography: historical, political & military; True crime; Australasian & Pacific history; Crime & criminology; Local history; Biography - Australian

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Bad boys, bright lights and sorry ends: the story of our most infamous gangster.

Joseph Leslie 'Squizzy' Taylor was many things to many people: a kind and caring husband, father and stepfather, a reliable son and brother, a generous and considerate neighbour and patron. He was also a criminal willing to consider any type of crime, provided it supported his lifestyle and his ego.

Squizzy graduated from teenage pickpocket to adult murderer, from organising smash-and-grab raids on jewellers to corrupting juries and suborning witnesses. And he was nothing if not newsworthy, whether appearing at the opening night of a new show at the top end of Bourke Street or climbing the steps en route to an appearance in the Supreme Court.

For more than a decade, Victoria's best detectives were unable to pin any one of a dozen major crimes on him. Yet Squizzy ultimately met his match in street-punk-turned-gunman Snowy Cutmore in a darkened bedroom in a boarding house in Carlton.

In this first detailed biography of arguably Australia's best-known standover man, Ian W. Shaw traces the life of the criminal who set the trend in city gangster life, not only in Melbourne but Australia-wide.

By: Ian W. Shaw
Imprint: ABC
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 24mm
Weight: 426g
ISBN: 9780733344299
ISBN 10: 0733344291
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 25 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Ian W. Shaw is an acclaimed writer of narrative nonfiction who has made an important contribution to Australian history and to the understanding of our nation. Ian has published 12 works of Australian and military history, all of which are characterised by his ability to locate and access hidden tales from our past, and for his meticulous and far-reaching research. His intention is to make our collective past accessible and relatable. His most recent book is The Golden Gang, a biography of Australian bushranger Frank Gardiner and was published in 2024 by Simon & Schuster. Other books include Into the Sunset, exploring the story of the Dalton gang (University of Kansas Press, 2023), which was named a Kansas Notable Book, and On Radji Beach, which was optioned for film in 2024. Ian lives in Isaacs in the ACT.