Title: Tramp
Description: Dust jacket notes: The hobo traversing America in a rolling box-car has become a mythological figure, known to most of us only through old newsreels and the songs of Woody Guthrie. In Tramp, author Will Thomas clothes this figure in flesh and blood, introducing the reader to life as really experienced by the men who rode the rails during the thirties. Through the eyes of his hero, Will, Mr. Thomas show us America during the Great Depression-the soup lines, the hard times, and the transients, roaming from town to town in search of work, a quick handout, or just plain adventure. Traveling by rail from his home in Milwaukee to many western states and back again, Will encounters a variety of characters, from hopeful young hoboes to toughs who prey on the helpless flotsam and jetsam of society. In the course of his travels, Will learns about people and professions, and he passes that lore on to the reader, discoursing, for example, about the proper technique in hopping freights or picking potatoes and who to size up a fellow traveler in a few minutes. Most of all, however, we hear about trains. Author Thomas obviously knows and loves the railroads and speaks entertainingly about how the engines runs, the different types of cars, and the music they all make as they move over the tracks. Tramp gives the reader a fascinating glimpse of a colorful demimonde that has become an American legend.