Alcatraz

Fifty years after America's most infamous prison was shut down, Alcatraz Island's botanical captives have been released from decades of neglect, freed by the collective work of the Garden Conservancy, the National Park Service, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The story behind this work, as well as quotes that inspire reflection on the power of nature and the nature of redemption, is richly illustrated with photographs of the rehabilitated landscape.

80 Pages, Hardcover.

Robert Lieber's action packed and visually beautiful book exposes all the stories behind Hollywood's biggest Alcatraz movies, both real and reel. Filled with color movie posters, photos of the prison, biographies of the stars and crew, top film quotes, and more.

Welcome to Alcatraz, maximum security U.S. penitentiary - home of some of America's most dangerous criminals, and workplace of correctional officer and prison launch captain Pat Mahoney.Read Mahoney's fascinating story of his time on the Rock, with its steel bars, guns, and violent men, which was to him, both a daring and wonderful adventure.

Experience Alcatraz history like you never have before with this unexpected story about a young woman's experience on the notorious prison island.

Fifteen-year-old Ann Burrows was excited when she found out that her family would be moving to Alcatraz for her father's career. She had visions of sunny beaches and warm California breezes--a place quite different from her home town of Kansas City, Missouri.

But things didn't turn out quite the way she expected.

In between normal teenage pursuits like school and hobbies, romance unexpectedly blossomed for Ann on the cold and dreary island. Suddenly, her personal life became the subject of international news stories...

This is a memoir by Ann Burrows Eib.

Capable, cunning, and each with a history of escaping from lesser prisons, these hardened criminals have been transferred from Leavenworth to serve the remainder of their sentences on The Rock. On December 16, 1937, they made their final getaway...

Issue 6 of the "Escape from Alcatraz" comic series, entitled "Presumed Dead" features the daring escape attempt of Ralph Roe and Ted Cole.

Caution: Graphic Depiction of a Violent Alcatraz Escape Attempt

A daring plan executed by violent men with nothing to lose sparked the prison's most vicious breakout attempt. It started with an unthinkable act: an inmate overpowered an armed guard and gained control of weapons inside the cellhouse...

Follow along with one of the most daring escape attempts in the history of USP Alcatraz with Issue #5 of our Escape from Alcatraz comic series!

Written by Brandon Seifert, and illustrated by Joko Budiono.

Caution: Graphic Depiction of a Violent Alcatraz Escape Attempt

Step into Alcatraz history with this captivating book by renowned park historian and former National Park Service ranger John Martini.

It was June 1942...

Twenty-six-year-old Captain Freeman, mulling over his options, feared he was in for a long evening.

Much of the Pacific Fleet lay at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, and the US Army was feverishly bolstering West Coast defenses.

With fears that Japanese bombers could appear over San Francisco, Freeman's superiors were eyeing a small rock in the middle of the bay: Alcatraz. The island's location in the center of the harbor made it the perfect spot for a gun platform. The prison's cellhouse rooftop was considered an especially strategic artillery location.

But Alcatraz's warden, James A. Johnston, had already developed a reputation as a curmudgeon when it came to following the military's wartime regulations. Although he had recently agreed to the installation of several gun positions on the island, assuming command of the new battery could turn out to be a tricky job...

Alcatraz was going to war. Again.

Alcatraz. The name alone says it all. It was meant to send a shudder down the spines of America's most incorrigible criminals. It stripped Al Capone of his power. It tamed "Machine Gun" Kelly into a model of decorum. It took away birds from the Birdman of Alcatraz. For the men confined within its walls, US Penitentiary Alcatraz (1934-1963) was truly the end of the line. In this massive volume, historian Michael Esslinger takes his readers on a fascinating journey into the world of America's most famous high-security federal prison. Drawing together hundreds of photographs, inmate records, letters, telegrams, and other historical documents, Esslinger goes far beyond Hollywood myths surrounding the Rock and penetrates some of the island's innermost secrets. In the world of USP Alcatraz, sometimes truth was "stranger than fiction"

NOTE: This book contains graphic depictions of crime and violence. Its content may not be suitable for all readers.

Product Specifications:
Paperback, 585 pages
11" tall x 8.5" wide x 1.5" thick
Printed in USA

Experience Alcatraz history come to life with this best-selling memoir written by former inmate and self-described "bad boy" William Baker.

In 1957, when 23-year-old William ("Bill") Baker stepped onto the Alcatraz dock for the first time, he had no idea what the future held. He never would have guessed that 50 years later, he would return to the island...this time as a celebrated author.

Today, Bill is one of the last living Alcatraz inmates and delights visitors with stories from his time on the Rock. In Alcatraz 1259, visitors can take this once-in-a-lifetime experience home. Written with Bill's characteristic candor and dry humor, this powerful first-person account of Alcatraz paints a revealing portrait of life at the world's most notorious prison.

Please note: This volume includes a collectable Alcatraz autograph card, signed by the author.

Product specifications:

• Paperback, 246 pages

For Dierdre Marie Capone there came a time to confess to her children, grandchildren, and even herself that, yes, they were members of the storied Capone crime family. From her ancestral roots in Angri, Italy to the family's move to Brooklyn and later Chicago, Dierdre Marie Capone offers the portrait of an American family and her favorite Uncle, endlessly depicted as the iconic mastermind behind some of the century's most brutal killings.

Explore the fascinating history of America's most notorious prison in this brief history of Alcatraz Island.

Available in English, Spanish, and German.

A foggy night provides cover for 5 hardened criminals' attempt to escape the world's most secure prison. Exquisitely illustrated by artist David Norton with terse text by Alexis Norton; 2nd in our 14 volume Escape from Alcatraz comic book series

Caution: Graphic Depiction of a Violent Alcatraz Escape Attempt

Alcatraz Most Wanted offers sixteen profiles of the most notoriuous prisoners on Alcatraz - their personalities, their lives, crimes and deaths - with mug shots, crime scene photographs, arrest records, escape attempts, medical records and death records.

69 pages, paperback.

Even locked up inside USP Alcatraz, he was able to recruit a crew to break the Rock. All they needed was some time and a foggy day...

The seventh issue of "Escape from Alcatraz" features the escape attempt of the FBIs Public Enemy No. 1, Floyd Hamilton and his crew.

• Written by Jaime Portillo
• Illustrated by Arturo Delgado
• Colored by Danny Morales
• Lettered by Zen
• 22 pages, soft cover.

Caution: Graphic Depiction of a Violent Alcatraz Escape Attempt

Was he the earnest, warm-hearted "bird doctor" and writer of two books? Or was he a far more flamboyant and diabolical double-murderer, whose event-filled, tragicomic life converted a 12-year conviction into a 54-year death sentence? Meticulously researched, with never-before-published prison reports and Stroud's own writings, with quotes from prisoners, officers, psychologists, and avian pathologists, Birdman explodes the myths surrounding Robert Stroud.

A Note About the Author

During the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary years, Jolene Babyak lived on the island with about 75 other children whose fathers worked in the prison. Today, she is an accomplished author and Alcatraz historian.

Got a taste for history?

Experience Alcatraz like you never have before with this fun replica cookbook!

Originally created in 1952 by the Alcatraz Women's Club, this collection of recipes contains a number of nostalgic mid-century favorites sure to tickle your fancy.

This product is a reproduction of an original artifact in the National Park Service's Alcatraz Museum Collection.

Did You Know?

Alcatraz was more than just a prison. It was also home to correctional officers, administrative staff, and their families. The wives and daughters of prison staff who lived on the Rock formed a close knit community and often hosted dinner parties and potlucks.

Product specifications:

• Paperback, 68 pages
• Made in the USA

There were 14 escape attempts on Alcatraz. Follow the colorful tale of the most famous, escape number 13, the Dummy Head Breakout. Do these men make it out alive? 31 pages

Artist: Steve Lieber
Writer: Sara Ryan
Colorist: Jeff Parker

Caution: Graphic Depiction of a Violent Alcatraz Escape Attempt

Travel back and forth through time with this book featuring lenticular images that show a historical picture of Alcatraz from one angle and a current picture of the same location at another angle.

The Great Escape from Alcatraz by historian and former child resident Jolene Babyak. Riveting account of the most famous and shocking escape in the history of Alcatraz. Filled with compelling details, Breaking the Rock brings this fascinating story to life as only a writer of Ms. Babyak's caliber can achieve.

Pages: 276, paperback.

A Note About the Author

During the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary years, Jolene Babyak lived on the island with about 75 other children whose fathers worked in the prison. Today, she is an accomplished author and Alcatraz historian.