Crime and Punishment entitled "The Drunkards", which was to deal with "the present question of drunkenness ... [in] all its ramifications, especially the picture of a family and the bringing up of children in these circumstances, etc., etc." This theme, centering on the story of the Marmeladov family, became ancillary to the story of Raskolnikov and his crime. At the time Dostoevsky owed large sums of money to creditors, and was trying to help the family of his brother Mikhail, who had died in early 1864. After appeals elsewhere failed, Dostoevsky turned as a last resort to the publisher Mikhail Katkov, and sought
The Crime Book described the crimes detailed in the book as having "such diversity that there is something for everyone. ... I can’t think of one crime that’s not represented in The Crime Book. It runs the gamut—from nonviolent cons to gangland-style criminals, to white-collar offenders—with a complete representation starting with the first known homicide committed against a Neanderthal man. Simply put, you can’t make this stuff up." "Rolling Stone" magazine's description, in an August 2017 interview with co-author Scott about the book, wrote that it is "an encyclopedic treatment of the topic (that) makes for excellent companion reading. A compelling compilation of