An amazing autobiography of a criminal from a forgotten time in american history. Jack Black was a burgler, safe-cracker, highwayman and petty thief.

My background is crowded with robberies, burglaries, and thefts too numerous to recall. All manner of crimes against property. Arrests, trials, acquittals, convictions, escapes. Penitentiaries! I see in the background four of them. County jails, workhouses, city prisons, Mounted Police barracks, dungeons, solitary confinement, bread and water, hanging up, brutal floggings, and the murderous straitjacket. I see hop joints, wine dumps, thieves' resorts, and beggars' hangouts. Crime followed ...

My background is crowded with robberies, burglaries, and thefts too numerous to recall. All manner of crimes against property. Arrests, trials, acquittals, convictions, escapes. Penitentiaries! I see in the background four of them. County jails, workhouses, city prisons, Mounted Police barracks, dungeons, solitary confinement, bread and water, hanging up, brutal floggings, and the murderous straitjacket. I see hop joints, wine dumps, thieves' resorts, and beggars' hangouts. Crime followed ...

A major influence on William S. Burroughs and other Beat writers, this lost classic was written by Jack Black, a drifter and small-time criminal. Born in 1872, Black hit the road at the age of 16 and spent most of his life as a vagabond. In this plain-spoken but colorful 1926 memoir, he recaptures a hobo underworld of the early twentieth century, a time when it was possible to pass anonymously from town to town. Black's firsthand accounts of hopping trains, burglaries, prison, and drug add...

Step into the gritty underworld of early 20th-century America with "You Can't Win" by Jack Black, a raw and unflinching memoir that chronicles the life of a professional thief and hobo. Through a series of gripping escapades, Black offers a candid look at the criminal subculture, revealing the harsh realities and moral ambiguities of a life on the fringes of society. His journey, marked by encounters with colorful characters and brushes with the law, is a poignant exploration of survival, ...

Originally published in 1926, ‘You Can't Win’ is an amazing autobiography of a criminal from a forgotten time in American history by Jack Black, a burglar, safe-cracker, highwayman, and petty thief. The book recounts Black's adventures in the hobo underworld, freight-hopping around the western United States and Canada, with the bulk of incidents taking place from the late 1880s to around 1910. He narrates of becoming a thief, burglar, and member of the yegg (safe-cracking) subculture, expl...

You Can't Win is an autobiography by burglar and hobo Jack Black, written in the early to mid-1920s and first published in 1926. It describes Black's life on the road, in prison and his various criminal capers in the American and Canadian west from the late 1880s to early 20th century. The book was a major influence upon William S. Burroughs and other Beat writers. It was made into a film in 2015.

You Can’t Win, the beloved memoir of real lowdown Americana by criminal hobo Jack Black, was first published in 1926, then reprinted in 1988 by Adam Parfrey’s Amok Press, featuring an introduction by William S. Burroughs.After its Amok Press edition went out of print, You Can’t Win found popularity once again with the AK Press edition.Feral House’s new version will take this classic American narrative a lot further, including two remarkable nonfiction arti...

You Can't Win is the pioneering American criminal underworld memoir written by Jack Black, a burglar, drifter and criminal active in early 1900's America. Black's astonishing accounts of hopping trains, cracking safes, escaping prison cells, and drug addiction offers an unusually vivid portrait of American underworld life over a century ago. Beat legend William S. Burroughs ('Junkie') cited the book as influential in his life and writing.In his striking, d...

In "You Can't Win," Jack Black delivers a raw and unvarnished autobiographical account of his life as a petty criminal and wanderer in the early 20th century. Embracing a confessional and conversational narrative style, Black vividly chronicles his experiences in the underbelly of society, encompassing themes of poverty, addiction, and the transient nature of existence. The book is set against a backdrop of a rapidly changing America, offering a unique lens into the realities of drifting t...

Early Life: Jack Black (not to be confused with the actor) was born in a poor family and experienced a troubled childhood. He faced numerous hardships and became increasingly disillusioned with society.Life as a Vagabond: The narrative follows Black's journey through various cities in the United States and Canada as he survives on the fringes of society. He shares stories about living on the streets, hopping trains, and engaging with other drifters.Criminal Underworld: As he navigates thro...

You Can't Win is the unvarnished autobiography of Jack Black, a real-life hobo, thief, and professional criminal whose life unfolded across the underbelly of North America at the turn of the 20th century. First published in 1926, the book plunges readers into a world far removed from conventional society - one of freight-hopping railroads, urban alleys, opium dens, lock-picking, and penal institutions.Black's narrative begins with his departure from a trou...