Jay Robert Nash
Encyclopedia
Jay Robert Nash is an American
author of more than seventy books on myriad aspects of true crime
. Among Nash's crime anthologies are Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen and Outlaws, Look For the Woman, Bloodletters and Badmen, and The Great Pictorial History of World Crime. He has also compiled his exhaustive research of criminal behaviour into a CD-ROM
entitled Jay Robert Nash's True Crime Database.
The Chicago Tribune
has called Nash "America’s foremost chronicler of crime." Nash is also a winner of the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award for his six-volume Encyclopedia of World Crime and has won "Best Reference" citations from the American Library Association
for four of his books, including Darkest Hours; however, he has also admitted to seeding his works with disinformation
as "copyright traps".
-style books and reference works about crime. Nash currently lives in Wilmette, Illinois
and describes himself as an "entrepreneurial businessman." He is the recipient of a Special Edgar Allan Poe Award
, in 1991, for his six-volume Encyclopedia of World Crime.
Nash has won "Best Reference" citations from the American Library Association
for four of his books, including Darkest Hours. However, he has repeatedly said that his books are "seeded with information to detect any unauthorized use or duplication"; the precise nature of these copyright traps may include incorrect information in otherwise factual entries, or wholly fictitious entries. Sally G. Waters, writing for the Library Journal
, called Nash's work "fascinating yet flawed" and recommended that it be used only for background research, verifying the information based on the sources in Nash's bibliography.
In the Journal of American History
, Richard Maxwell Brown also noted the "numerous errors, omissions, inconsistencies, and anomalies" in Nash's encyclopedias. In 2008, The Library of America selected Nash’s story “The Turner-Stompanato Affair” for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American True Crime.
for producing an episode of Simon & Simon
with a plotline based around his notion that bank robber John Dillinger
was not killed by the FBI in 1934. (Nash focused two separate books on his theory, which has won little acceptance from historians.) His claim of copyright infringement was dismissed on summary judgment
, a ruling upheld by an appeals court. The court compared Nash's writing to "speculative works representing themselves as fact" and concluded that he could not claim a copyright on his analysis of historical facts, only his expression of them. The court added that Nash should not be surprised at the result, pointing out, "His own books are largely fresh expositions of facts looked up in other people's books."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of more than seventy books on myriad aspects of true crime
True crime (genre)
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
. Among Nash's crime anthologies are Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen and Outlaws, Look For the Woman, Bloodletters and Badmen, and The Great Pictorial History of World Crime. He has also compiled his exhaustive research of criminal behaviour into a CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
entitled Jay Robert Nash's True Crime Database.
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
has called Nash "America’s foremost chronicler of crime." Nash is also a winner of the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award for his six-volume Encyclopedia of World Crime and has won "Best Reference" citations from the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
for four of his books, including Darkest Hours; however, he has also admitted to seeding his works with disinformation
Disinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth...
as "copyright traps".
Critical response
Jay Robert Nash has written more than seventy books, mostly encyclopediaEncyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
-style books and reference works about crime. Nash currently lives in Wilmette, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and describes himself as an "entrepreneurial businessman." He is the recipient of a Special Edgar Allan Poe Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
, in 1991, for his six-volume Encyclopedia of World Crime.
Nash has won "Best Reference" citations from the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
for four of his books, including Darkest Hours. However, he has repeatedly said that his books are "seeded with information to detect any unauthorized use or duplication"; the precise nature of these copyright traps may include incorrect information in otherwise factual entries, or wholly fictitious entries. Sally G. Waters, writing for the Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, called Nash's work "fascinating yet flawed" and recommended that it be used only for background research, verifying the information based on the sources in Nash's bibliography.
In the Journal of American History
Journal of American History
The Journal of American History is the official academic journal of the Organization of American Historians. It covers the field of American history and was established in 1914 as the Mississippi Valley Historical Review, the official journal of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association...
, Richard Maxwell Brown also noted the "numerous errors, omissions, inconsistencies, and anomalies" in Nash's encyclopedias. In 2008, The Library of America selected Nash’s story “The Turner-Stompanato Affair” for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American True Crime.
CBS lawsuit
Nash once filed a lawsuit against CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for producing an episode of Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...
with a plotline based around his notion that bank robber John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
was not killed by the FBI in 1934. (Nash focused two separate books on his theory, which has won little acceptance from historians.) His claim of copyright infringement was dismissed on summary judgment
Summary judgment
In law, a summary judgment is a determination made by a court without a full trial. Such a judgment may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case....
, a ruling upheld by an appeals court. The court compared Nash's writing to "speculative works representing themselves as fact" and concluded that he could not claim a copyright on his analysis of historical facts, only his expression of them. The court added that Nash should not be surprised at the result, pointing out, "His own books are largely fresh expositions of facts looked up in other people's books."
Selected bibliography
Nash has published more than 70 books over the years. Among these are:- Ballistics
- Bloodletters and Bad Men Lucky Luciano to Charles Mason; A Who's Who of Vile Men (and Women) Wanted For Every Crime in the Book published by M. Evans and Company, Inc., revised and updated edition (1995).
- Citizen Hoover
- Concise Encyclopedia of the Civil War
- Crime Movie Quiz Book
- Crime Scene Investigations
- Cyber Crime
- The Dark Fountain published by Signet (1988).
- Darkest Hours: A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present published by Pocket Books (1977).
- Dictionary of Crime: Criminal Injustice, Criminology, & Law Enforcement published by Marlowe & Company (1994).
- The Dillinger Dossier
- Encyclopedia Of Civil War Battles published by Scarecrow Press (2005).
- Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen & Outlaws
- Fingerprint Identification And Classification
- Forensic Anthropology
- Forensic DNA Analysis
- Forensic Psychology
- Forensic Serology
- Forensic Toxicology
- Forensic Pathology
- The Great Pictorial History of World Crime published by Scarecrow Press (2004)
- Hustlers and Con Men: An Anecdotal History of the Confidence Man and His Games published by M. Evans & Company (1976)
- Look for the Woman: A Narrative Encyclopedia of Female Poisoners, Kidnappers, Thieves, Extortionists, Terrorists, Swindlers and Spies from Elizabethan Times to the Present published by M. Evans & Company (1986).
- The Mafia Diaries published by Dell Publishing Company (1986)
- The Motion Picture Guide published by Cinebooks during the 1970s and early '80s. This was a twelve volume reference work.
- The Motion Picture Guide published by Cinebooks beginning in 1985, this is an annual book.
- Murder Among the Rich & Famous published by Random House (1988)
- People to See
- Spies: A Narrative Encyclopedia of Dirty Tricks and Double Dealing from Biblical Times to Today published by M. Evans and Company, Inc. (1997)
- Terrorism In The 20th Century: A Narrative Encyclopedia from the Anarchists, Through the Weathermen, to the Unabomber
- World Encyclopedia of 20th Century Murder published by Paragon House Publishers (1992)
- World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime published by Paragon House Publishers (April 1992) ISBN 1557785082