Knights of the Road: A Hobo History

by Roger A. Bruns

In the glory days of hoboing, hundreds of thousands of Americans were lured by the wail of soot-belching locomotives pulling long lines of freight cars. They hit the tracks and beat their way across an American laced with railroad lines. Some rode in boxcars, or crouched in cowcatchers, some in empty battery boxes beneath passenger cars, others clung precariously to the brake rods inches from the stinging cinders. the ingenuity of the hobo was only exceeded by his courage and, in many cases, his desperation. - Few hobo jungles remain. The men and women who sat around campfires, swapping yarns, swapping stew, drinking "red eye" - the working stiffs, gay cats, yeggs, gandy dancers and prushings - are a vanishing species. But here, this fascinating, flamboyant chapter of American history lives on. Interviews, letters, song, poetry, articles from hobo newspapers, IWW literature and autobiographical accounts evoke a colorful, often savage portrait of hobo life from the 1800s to the Great Depression.

Genres: History

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Roger Bruns (b. 1941) is an author and the former deputy director for the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States.

Reviews

[Googz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Charlie Elmer Fox was right (see: The last book I marked as "Read"), this is an excellent overview of hobo life on the road and riding the rails in the late 19th and early 20th century. Crazy and interesting stuff about labor unions, eccentric characters (James Eads How!), hobo educations, and other glimpses into the simultaneously liberating and heart-and-body-breaking life of a knight of the road. There's even a sweet glossary of hobo terms at the back! I would actually like to own this book, I think.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was O.K. Not a super narrative tale nor a straight history but something somewhere in between. The book focused on the life of hobo's, a topic I had some interest in when comparing it to current homeless issues we have now; however throughout the book I wondered how much of the book was true and how much was a glorification of the hobo myth. I don't know if I ever got an answer that satisfied me but I am also not sure if I need one.