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The Autobiography of a Thief: the Man Behind the Great Train Robbery Pdf, Epub, Ebook THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A THIEF: THE MAN BEHIND THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Bruce Reynolds | 448 pages | 07 Feb 2011 | Ebury Publishing | 9780753539170 | English | London, United Kingdom The Autobiography of a Thief by B Reynolds - Penguin Books Australia He was so incorrigible that the army decided not to use him. He had made himself all but unemployable by the age of He ought not have been set at liberty so soon. He as incorrigible and had evinced no intention of going straight. Had he been kept incarcerated then dozens or even hundreds of people would have been spared his depredations. The author claimed to have been convinced by Marx. He also said he had left wing convictions. He certainly bore a grudge against the Establishment. This did not result in any empathy of the working class. He seldom stole from them but that was solely because they rarely had high value movables to steal. Reynolds never gave away any of his ill gotten gains to the needy. Some of his accounts of thieving are banal. This is not always a racy book. It is at times perfunctory in its description. There are other passages he has put more thought into particularly the highlight of the autobiography: the Great Train Robbery. There he endeavours to be literary. Yet these were not sufficient to put off a determined enemy of society like Reynolds. Bruce and his pals frequently used violence in their robberies. They whacked people over the head with iron bars. He never expresses remorse about this. This was not due to humanitarianism. If someone was murdered in the course of a robbery then the death penalty was mandatory for all concerned. The Derek Bentley case was an example of his. Reynolds boasts about his womanising. He had a girlfriend named Rita. This may have led to some moments of gaucherie at family events. When Angela became pregnant he was minded to demand an abortion. Because he had recently survived a car crash he chose not to ask for his baby to be killed. I suspect that on earlier occasions he had done that. He was sexually active from the age of 16 — according to himself. He became a father aged It is hard to believe that no pregnancies arose from his relationships. He was often two timing. Bruce Reynolds describes his goals. He was chiefly motivated by avarice. He also craved recognition. Respect from his peers among thieves also mattered to him. He seems to have been driven but a horrific sense of inadequacy. This is what moved him to buy flash clothes and dine in swanky restaurants. These are not the things that would actuate someone who cared for the working class. He detested the upper class but strove to ape it. Reynolds felt worthless. Indeed he never contributed to society. He was worth much less than nothing. It was because he believed he was no good that he pined for adulation from his criminal peers. He was dressed up to the nines partly to earn kudos. There was a more logical explanation — it was to avoid suspicion when scouting possible targets in affluent areas. The most scintillating aspect of the book is when he writes about his tactics. He strategised carefully. He would reconnoitre possible targets. He used informants to fill him in on where to find high value chattels. He writes about when to steal, where to steal and how to sell stolen goods to a fence. Crime was his career so he devoted a lot of time to surveillance, counter-surveillance and planning. He is patently proud of the artistry and audacity of his crimes. He indeed describes it as art. As a young tearaway his crimes were often on the spur of the moment. As a scamp he sought to outdo his rivals in effrontery. Later he came to make a study of larceny. He became meticulous. He did a cost-benefit analysis before embarking on a crime. As he weighed up the likelihood of being apprehended and the probable sentenced if convicted it was clear that a harsh sentencing policy would have reduced his purloining very considerably. He was a calculating thief. He was daring only insofar as he judged that he ran little risk of being caught. The author claimed to have been slapped around by the police and even severely beaten up on one occasion. Such claims are commonplace and may well be true. In the s such behaviour was par for the course. As with all major thefts this required inside information. The operations was painstakingly planned. His meticulous planning paid off. The particulars of this heist are too well known to require repetition. The plan did not go off without a hitch. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See all condition definitions - opens in a new window or tab Read more about the condition. About this product. Business seller information. Contact details. Return policy. You must return items in their original packaging and in the same condition as when you received them. If you don't follow our item condition policy for returns , you may not receive a full refund. Refunds by law: In Australia, consumers have a legal right to obtain a refund from a business if the goods purchased are faulty, not fit for purpose or don't match the seller's description. More information at returns. Postage and handling. The seller has not specified a postage method to Germany. Contact the seller - opens in a new window or tab and request postage to your location. Postage cost can't be calculated. Please enter a valid postcode. There are 1 items available. Please enter a number less than or equal to 1. Select a valid country. Please enter five or nine numbers for the postcode. Domestic handling time. Payment details. Payment methods. Back to home page Return to top. Back to home page. Listed in category:. Email to friends Share on Facebook - opens in a new window or tab Share on Twitter - opens in a new window or tab Share on Pinterest - opens in a new window or tab Add to Watchlist. Opens image gallery Image not available Photos not available for this variation. Good: A book that has been read but is in good condition. Bruce Reylds' life of crime began with a small-scale smash-and-grabs and led to a succession of lucrative, high-profile robberies - but it was on the empty early-morning fields of middle England that he found his Eldorado. In the early hours of 8 August , he and 16 others robbed the Glasgow- to-Euston mail train of 2,, - in today's money, 26 million. Item location:. Posts to:. United Kingdom and many other countries See details. 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Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Item specifics Condition: Very Good: A book that has been read and does not look new, but is in excellent condition. No obvious damage to the book cover, with the dust jacket if applicable included for hard covers. No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins. Some identifying marks on the inside cover, but this is minimal. Very little wear and tear. See all condition definitions — opens in a new window or tab Read more about the condition. About this product. Condition is Very Good. Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class. Postage and packaging. This item will post to Germany , but the seller hasn't specified postage options. Contact the seller - opens in a new window or tab and request a postage method to your location. Postage cost can't be calculated. Please enter a valid postcode. There are 1 items available. Please enter a number less than or equal to 1. 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