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The Autobiography of a Thief by Hutchins Hapgood
By LinaArts
The Autobiography of a Thief by Hutchins Hapgood episodes
- 19 min
- 18 min
- 26 min
- 19 min
- 21 min
- 6 min
About The Autobiography of a Thief by Hutchins Hapgood
From the publisher's feed
The Autobiography of a Thief takes listeners into the hidden criminal world of late nineteenth-century New York. Collected and edited by journalist and social reformer Hutchins Hapgood, the book…
presents the remarkable first-person testimony of “Light-Fingered Jim,” a professional pickpocket and burglar raised on the city’s Lower East Side.
Jim recounts his difficult childhood, early encounters with street crime, and gradual initiation into a dangerous life of theft. He describes the techniques, secret language, loyalties, betrayals, arrests, and prison sentences that shaped his years in the underworld. His candid observations also reveal the poverty and social pressures surrounding many young offenders of the period.
Neither a conventional confession nor a romantic celebration of crime, this unusual memoir offers an unsentimental portrait of survival on the streets. The audiobook brings Jim’s distinctive voice and vivid recollections to life, transporting listeners to the Bowery’s crowded alleys, saloons, police courts, and prisons. It is a compelling choice for anyone interested in true crime, social history, and authentic accounts of old New York.
Jim recounts his difficult childhood, early encounters with street crime, and gradual initiation into a dangerous life of theft. He describes the techniques, secret language, loyalties, betrayals, arrests, and prison sentences that shaped his years in the underworld. His candid observations also reveal the poverty and social pressures surrounding many young offenders of the period.
Neither a conventional confession nor a romantic celebration of crime, this unusual memoir offers an unsentimental portrait of survival on the streets. The audiobook brings Jim’s distinctive voice and vivid recollections to life, transporting listeners to the Bowery’s crowded alleys, saloons, police courts, and prisons. It is a compelling choice for anyone interested in true crime, social history, and authentic accounts of old New York.