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Bidwell's Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison: Fifteen Years in Solitude

Bidwell’s Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison: Fifteen Years in Solitude

by Austin Bidwell
(6 customer reviews)

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The autobiographical account of Austin Bidwell’s journey from a youth in Brooklyn to a life of crime on Wall Street, culminating in a life sentence in a London prison for grand larceny. A vivid portrait of 19th-century criminal life, moral failed opportunities, and the consequences of one’s choices.

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John Bidwell’s A Journey to California (also published as Bidwell’s Travels) is a firsthand account of the overland emigration of 1841, one of the earliest parties of settlers to reach California by wagon. Bidwell was just twenty-two when he joined the Bartleson-Bidwell party, a group of pioneers who set out from Missouri with scant supplies, no guide, and only a general sense of the route westward.

The narrative describes the party’s passage across the Great Plains, through the Rocky Mountains, and into the Great Basin, where they nearly perished from thirst and starvation. After crossing the Sierra Nevada, they reached John Marsh’s ranch in California in November 1841, having survived a five-month journey of more than two thousand miles. Bidwell’s account is a primary document of American westward expansion, valued for its detailed observations of the landscape, the Native peoples encountered, and the daily realities of overland travel.

This edition presents the complete text of Bidwell’s narrative, preserving his original language and observations.

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6 reviews for Bidwell’s Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison: Fifteen Years in Solitude

  1. Harold M. –

    absolutly fascinating read. bidwells story reads like a crime novel but its all true. the detail about wall street in the 1860s and how he pulled off the bank of england scheme is mindblowing. the book also gives a terrifying look at what victorian prisons were like. highly recommend to anyone interested in true crime or 19th century history.

  2. Linda P. –

    what a wild ride. from brooklyn schoolboy to london prison inmate — bidwell lived an incredible life. some parts are a bit slow (he goes into a lot of detail about prison routines) but the wall street and bank fraud chapters are gripping. the biographical preface chapters help set the context. good edition overall.

  3. Robert C. –

    one of the best prison memoirs ive ever read. bidwell doesnt make excuses for his crimes but he paints a vivid picture of how easy it was to slide into corruption in that era. the descriptions of newgate prison and chatham are harrowing. you really feel his despair and eventual hope. the ebook formatting is clean and easy to navigate.

  4. Susan W. –

    interesting story but the writing style is very much of its time — lots of melodrama and moralizing. bidwell keeps saying he learned his lesson but then goes right back to crime. the middle third drags with too much prison detail. still a valuable historical document though. the edition itself is well put together.

  5. James D. –

    great piece of criminal history. i had heard of the bidwell forgery case but never knew the full story. the book covers his entire life journey and its remarkable how far he traveled and how many schemes he was involved in. the only thing missing is more about his co-conspirators. definitely worth a read if youre into true crime.

  6. Maria S. –

    couldnt put this down. bidwell is not a reliable narrator but thats what makes it so interesting — you can see him justifying his choices while also being honest about the consequences. the escape attempts in cuba and the description of being hunted across ireland are cinema worthy. a genuinely underrated true crime classic.

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