is one of the best and . It , documenting their rise and fall in battles of domination in the bootlegging, drugs, and gambling fields. Nucky Thompson () – – a notorious Atlantic City mobster, is the main character, but the story also follows the likes of (), (), (), and ().

The series was critically acclaimed, and the screenplay was written by, but did you know there's a novel of the same name? In fact, , much like the world of Boardwalk Empire does. If you're an avid reader and want to learn more, here are books to read if you love Boardwalk Empire.

might sound familiar, but that's because wrote, directed, produced, and starred in 2016. Though the film received mixed reviews,. wrote the book, also known for authoring , which was also adapted into a film by .

Live by Night is set in 1920s Boston, when Prohibition was roaring and the underworld was booming with the illegal alcohol trade. Taking the reader into the psyche of a , the novel feels like Boardwalk Empire because of its Prohibition setting but also for its themes of crime, ambition, and betrayal. The novel is often referred to as a crime epic, and Lehane's writing captures the corrupt and dangerous world of organized crime.

If you loved watching the New York City mobsters in Boardwalk Empire, is the ideal book for you. , and their 1950s era took them to Havana, Cuba. is the novel's author, and he's generally known for being a prolific true-crime writer, with a special focus on researching and learning about organized crime and notorious criminals. English's book was nominated for an Edgar award for the Best Fact Crime novel.

Havana Nocturne follows Lansky and Luciano in their post-Prohibition era and the attempt to sway Cuba and its criminal underworld on their side. and how they achieved an international reach. English also mentions personalities like , , and even. It's a riveting read for the facts alone, but it can also ease the nostalgia for Boardwalk Empire that most fans are probably feeling nowadays.

's is ,. It's mandatory reading for understanding the entire era between the two world wars and the mindsets and motivations behind banning alcohol and introducing such changes into society. Daniel Okrent has had a long literary career, having written eight novels and starting his journalism career as the first public editor of The New York Times.

Last Call includes vivid accounts of key players in the criminal and political scene, from George Remus to William McCoy, who are also mentioned in Boardwalk Empire. This book will remind you of the show's events and ; that's why Last Call is an essential companion to the show's historical context. You'll feel like a true history expert when you arm yourself with Okrent's knowledge and the facts from Boardwalk Empire.

is one of the must-read fiction novels for any fan of Boardwalk Empire. It's a quintessential look at the Jazz Age, that often lies beneath all the glitz and glamor. From this perspective, directly compares to Boardwalk Empire, a show where power, money, and ambition contain and create personal tragedy.

The Great Gatsby follows the narrator, Nick Carraway, who becomes involved with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, his next-door neighbor. Gatsby is a socialite, and he loves lavish and over-the-top parties, , Nick's distant cousin. The book overall dives into the illusion of the American Dream, something Fitzgerald seemed to have been obsessed with or even disappointed by. In many ways, Boardwalk Empire is a story of the American Dream and all of those who tried to achieve it.

Another T.J. English essential novel, this time named , is a non-fiction look at the Irish-American mafia, . Its characters closely resemble those in Boardwalk Empire, especially the lead, Nucky Thompson, who was, in the series, born into a poor Irish Catholic family. Paddy Whacked doesn't describe just one character, though; it follows a grander scheme and timeline, showing the gradual but firm rise of the mafia in the US.

Paddy Whacked is expansive, starting its story in the 1800s and going all the way to the 2000s. , focusing on cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, and even New Orleans and Cleveland. If you enjoy the encompassing storytelling and shifting from city to city in Boardwalk Empire's narrative, you'll love Paddy Whacked and T.J. English's matter-of-fact writing style.

is set in sunny California, and it's a brilliant noir crime novel that captures a rawness and darkness similar to what Boardwalk Empire embodies. Many people believed, the famous , was based on Tapping the Source, but author said that the similarities are minimal. Nunn was also a surfer back in the day, and – the underbelly of surf culture.

from California and never returned. Ike decides to investigate it and begins infiltrating a surprisingly violent and corrupt world. In Boardwalk Empire, there are plenty of morally ambiguous characters, innocent men turning bad, and a lot of lawlessness. Tapping the Source is an excellent novel; despite some differences in the story and setting compared to Boardwalk Empire, both focus on the negative and darker sides of life and achieving the American Dream.

's beautifully written novel was made into a movie of the same name, where portrayed James and was Ford. ; Hansen also appeared in a cameo in the film. While the book was generally received well, some people found it to be more adjacent to historical fiction. However, Hansen researched and delved into not just Jesse James' gang but also life in the Old West and described the cornerstones of American history and culture.

was a notorious outlaw who ran with a gang, among whom were Robert Ford and his brother, Charley, . and how Robert Ford coveted the fame and notoriety that James had achieved. The book can be found similar to Boardwalk Empire in the case of Jimmy Darmody (), whose rise and fall is tragic but expected in the show.

's became a massive hit because of Spencer Tracy's same-name film adaptation in 1958. The Last Hurrah became a bestseller and was nominated for various prizes and awards, holding a sales record for several months. O'Connor's book is beyond just insightful; it gets darkly funny at times and is written with exceptional skill and knowledge. It's often considered an essential novel that provides insight into American politics, describing the "last hurrah" of a politician losing influence and tenure.

The Last Hurrah was written from a narrator's point of view, though it sometimes follows young Adam Caulfield. Adam is the nephew of an unnamed town's mayor, and he is a comic artist and journalist. Readers found the mayor, Frank Skeffington, similar to the then Boston mayor, James Michael Curley, whose image was revived because of the novel. Though this book is political and fictional, Boardwalk Empire often shows political players and the political ambitions of criminals, making The Last Hurrah relevant to its themes.

Daniel Yergin's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Prize, is a marvelous and captivating record of the oil industry's history and the shaping of global influence and power. It starts in the 1850s and follows the industry's development up until 1990, when the book was released. It was a quick bestseller and later got the title of the definitive history of the oil industry (a bible, some would say). The ambition of the characters and the given nature of the conditions they existed in mirror events in Boardwalk Empire, where Prohibition allowed people to take advantage of the rules.

Yergin prepared the novel for about a decade with his staff of researchers and had a role in the oil industry himself. Political intrigue, power plays, and larger-than-life characters encompass a grand story of success noted down in The Prize. Though some readers on Goodreads found the book to be biased towards the oil industry, it's still essential reading for understanding the world we live in. Yergin's clear and concise, journalistic writing helps the book flow, which is necessary, considering it's about 800 pages long.

Claude Brown's autobiographical novel Manchild in the Promised Land is a brilliant and hypnotic recounting of his life in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s. It's a coming-of-age story in many ways and can be compared to the rise of criminals like Jimmy Darmody, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky in Boardwalk Empire. Brown wrote the novel using everyday language and expressions, bringing his experiences closer to the viewers like he's talking to a friend. It's a gripping and tragic autobiography and one of the best historical books ever written.

Manchild in the Promised Land follows Brown's upbringing in Harlem, realistically portraying and documenting urban life in Harlem. Brown seems to take numerous hits as years pass in the book; he documents the residents' rampant use of heroin, the constant death surrounding him and his friends and acquaintances, and the anger rising among the Black population of Harlem against the systemic oppression. This novel is essential reading for anyone, not just fans of Boardwalk Empire.

NEXT: 10 Novels To Read if You Love 'Goodfellas'