Crossing the Line
The Autobiography of a Thief
Bruce Reynolds(Author)
Virgin Books (Publisher)
2nd Edition
Published on 6. February 2003
Book
Hardback
340 pages
978-1-85227-929-5 (ISBN)
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Description
August 8th 1963; a railway track in Buckinghamshire. The moon shines clearly over Bruce Reynolds and 16 other men robbing a mail train of its sacks of money. The Great Train Robbery has entered British folklore as one of the most audacious crimes of the 20th century. The haul was #2,631,684 - the equivalent in 2002, #26 million. Bruce Reynolds, the leader of the gang, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1969 for his role in the robbery - he was released in 1978. This title takes Reynolds' story from inner London to Cannes, Rio de Janeiro and the Costa del Sol. His adventurous nature led to a successful career in crime, working his way up from minor league burglaries to the biggest haul of all. The planning, execution and consequences of the Great Train Robbery are covered plus the toll that life on the run took on him and his family. This edition brings Reynolds' story up-to-date to cover the fates of the rest of the gang, plus his pivotal role in Ronnie Biggs' return to the UK is also revealed along with his reaction to the deaths of Buster Edwards, Roy James and "Taters" Chatham.
Reviews / Votes
'Exceptional... elegantly written' Jake Arnott, Time Out; 'His story stands apart... skilful enough to capture both the immediate excitement of crime and the dull price it so often extracts' The Times; 'Far superior in style and narrative to the standard self-serving criminal memoir' Guardian; 'Amazes and immorally amuses with his high-living, anti-establishment career' Daily MailMore details
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Ebury Publishing
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
Ill.
Dimensions
Height: 242 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
775 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85227-929-5 (9781852279295)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
02/2004
True Crime
€32.39
Article is exhausted; no reprint
Previous edition

Bruce Reynolds
The Autobiography of a Thief
Book
11/2000
2nd Edition
Virgin Books
€29.91
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Bruce Reynolds was the leader of the gang behind the notorious Great Train Robbery in 1963. His criminal career began shortly after leaving school in 1946, with minor crimes soon graduating to running a top-class firm. Although they committed a succession of lucrative, high-profile robberies, it wasn't enough, and Reynolds hatched his most ambitious plan yet. Sentenced to 25 years in jail in 1969, he was released early in 1978, leaving his life of crime behind.