On the Roadorder this book
Joseph W. Rounsfell
Price £30.00 hardback, £20.00 paperback.

Joseph Rounsfell was a skilled compositor and proud trade unionist and this book is an account of his life "on the road" - tramping from town to town in search of work. His reminiscences are an eloquent testimonial to the trade union tramping system, and it was Rounsfell's union, the Typographical Association, which prompted him to travel for work and gave him money for food and lodgings.

On The Road was first serialised in the union's journal almost a century ago, and in these original journals. Rounsfell reveals himself to be a master of the serialists art. He gave a personal and precise account of life on the tramp, writing with a warmth and humour which delighted his readers, and it was through their insistence that what was intended as a short series of articles, became a substantial account of the tramping system published in monthly parts over the best of five years. Rounsfell in effect created the "Pickwick Papers" of the tramping artisan: the workhouse and the lodging house are vividly brought to life, along with the jobbing and newspaper offices, the printers' chapels and non-union shops, in which Rounsfell sought work and financial assistance.

On The Road is now published in book form for the first time. It has been edited by Andrew Whitehead, who also provides an introduction describing the development of the trade union tramping system; in a biographical note on Rounsfell, Whitehead recounts how he discovered the identity of the author of On The Road - first published pseudo anonymously - and establishes that Rounsfell was indeed a habitual tramp and well qualified to write what is the most detailed and important surviving account of life as a trade tramp.

From Chapter 12, "Bemrose and Sons":

"There were, of course, two days' rest in Leicester, which I availed myself of. But in my hurry from Derby to Leicester (28 miles) I had neglected to attend to a defect in one of my boots, and the result was the raising of a large blister on one of my heels, which, having burst on the second rest day, left a sore which caused no great pain. This condition gave ne considerable uneasiness of mind, as my stay in Leicester was limited, and it was my duty to move to another stage on the next day. It was impossible, I foresaw, for ne to walk to Coventry (28 miles) the next day, so I waited on Mr. Sutton in the evening of that day and asked him to grant me another day's rest, which, of course, carried the payment of another 1s. 8d.

There is a wise and humane understanding between the General Secretary and branch secretaries, to which the E.G. do not object, to the effect that in the case of physical disability to travel or in the event of inclement weather, the governing body and officials at Manchester will not interfere with the free exercise of discretion of a branch secretary should he decided to grant a further day's rest if applied for.

I therefore approached the Leicester secretary with some degree of confidence to make my application for an extra day's rest, which was at once acceded to.

To go hack to the first day of my arrival, in my search for lodgings I was, as before stated, recommended to take up my temporary abode at Wilkinson's Model Lodging House, where, as is usual in large places of that kind, there was every conceivable convenience provided for the comfort of travellers, whether they come from Derby or the Fiji Islands.

On the morning of the third day I drew up my balance sheet of accounts, which stood thus:- Income: Received previous night from secretary, 1s. 8d. Expenditure: Bed, 6d.; supper, breakfast, tobacco, etc. 8d.; balance in hand, 6d. The balance in hand was just enough to pay for a bed at night, without reckoning any expense during the day.

But alas: the 'nimble tanner' was during the day a little too active, and in the afternoon I found myself without the price of shelter.

Now, the scope of the duties of a branch secretary does not extend to those of the relieving officer, and, as usual when in great straits, my mind became very active; but what to do I knew not.

If anyone supposes that a penniless non can secretly slip up the stairs of a lodging-house and occupy the sane bed he slept in the night before, or any other bed, let me tell him he is mistaken. The inside of a gaol cannot be more secure to prevent a man from getting out than a model lodging-house is to prevent a man from getting in - that is to say in bed without prepayment. Lodging-houses are not run on lines of philanthropy, but on business lines, and woe to the individual who tries to get a night's shelter from the arctic conditions of the climate outside without first paying for it. The 'trains' are called every hour, and only at either of those hours can a lodger go to bed even if he has paid."

ISBN 0904573680. Hardback, 200 pages.
ISBN 0904573699. Paperback, 200 pages.

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