All Formats & Editions

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... Read Full Overview

Introduction by William S Burroughs A legendary American cult classic and a bestseller in 1926 when it was first published, and reprinted five times, this is the true story of criminal, convict and hobo Jack Black.

The favorite book of William Burroughs. A journey into the hobo underworld, freight hopping around the still Wild West, becoming a highwayman and member of the yegg (criminal) brotherhood, getting hooked on opium, doing stints in jail or escaping, often with the assistance of... Read Full Overview

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. The book tells of Black's experiences in the hobo underworld, freight-hopping around the western United States and Canada, with the majority of incidents... Read Full Overview

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

"Much of this book is about loneliness. Yet its pages are bracingly companionable. It is one of the friendliest books ever written. It is a superb piece of autobiography, testimony that cannot be impeached. While it is a statement of an American tragedy, it has laughter, brevity,... Read Full Overview

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.

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... Read Full Overview

The favorite book of William Burroughs. A journey into the hobo underworld, freight hopping around the still Wild West, becoming a highwayman and member of the yegg (criminal) brotherhood, getting hooked on opium, doing stints in jail or escaping, often with the assistance of... Read Full Overview

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. The book tells of Black's experiences in the hobo underworld, freight-hopping around the western United States and Canada, with the majority of incidents... Read Full Overview

You Can't Win is an autobiographical account of Jack Black, a man who led a life of crime, poverty, and rough living before eventually turning his life around. The book is a gritty, unvarnished narrative of Black's experiences... Read Full Overview

You Can't Win is an autobiographical account of Jack Black, a man who led a life of crime, poverty, and rough living before eventually turning his life around. The book is a gritty, unvarnished narrative of Black's experiences... Read Full Overview

"You Can't Win" is a stark and unflinching autobiography offering a rare glimpse into the life of a career criminal in the early 20th century United States. Written by Jack Black, this compelling narrative recounts his experiences navigating the outlaw life, providing firsthand... Read Full Overview