The Autobiography of a Super-tramp

A successful book in its time, now regarded as a classic, Autobiography of a Super-tramp relays the experiences of a young, destitute Welshman in America and Britain. The pen of W. H. Davies, vagabond and writer, reveals a fascinating picture of a vast, bustling continent intent on its own affairs and of a Britain on the cusp of change between old certainties and an uneasy future. Near the turn of the century, when he was 22, Davies’ restless spirit led him to the United States, where he worked around the country taking casual jobs where he could, thieving and begging where he couldn’t. His experiences were richly colored by the bullies, tricksters, and fellow adventurers he encountered—New Haven Baldy, Wee Shorty, the Indian Kid, and English Harry, to name but a few. He was thrown into prison in Michigan, beaten up in New Orleans, witnessed a lynching in Tennessee, and got drunk pretty well everywhere. A harrowing accident forced him to return to England and the seedy world of doss-houses and down-and-outs like Boozy Bob and Irish Tim. When George Bernard Shaw first read the manuscript of Davies’ adventures, he was stunned by the raw power of its unvarnished narrative.