McVicar by Himself - Softcover

McVicar, John; Rees, Goronwy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099110601 ISBN 13: 9780099110606

Publisher: Artnik Books, 2002

Synopsis

The cult movie "McVicar" was based on McVicar by Himself ( first published by Hutchinson in 1974 and by Arrow in 1979) the book.

Artnik Media discovered that the ex-KGB spy Goronwy Rees, who edited the book misread Mc Vicar's handwritten manuscript that was smuggled out of prison. We commissioned Mc Vicar to write the real story.

A timeless tale of one man taking on the prison system in England and staging two spectacular escapes from the most secure penal institutions, it is said to have inspired the story of the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King.

This is the true story of the legendary McVicar who served a partial sentence for a string of armed bank robberies in the 1960s, and emerged from prison to become one of the most distinguished writers and media pundits on the Continent.

It is written with humor and self-deprecation. The author has re-written the old manuscript in order to underline the message within the story.

A must read classic and one of the great real life escapes of all times.

Mc Vicar by Himself is one of those books you do put down... because you want it to last. It reads like a comedic thriller that between the beats of your racing pulse makes you grin in delight. Yet it can also touch your soul.

About this title

About the Author:

John McVicar grew up in East London, where he was a chess champion and scholarship schoolboy but as a 16-year-old turned to crime in the mid-1950s. He quickly racked up a number of jail sentences, then at the age of 26 years escaped from an 8 year stretch and on recapture received an extra 15 years. In 1968, he escaped from Durham Prison’s Special Wing and for over two years was hunted down as Public Enemy No 1. Yet, during that time, at the height of his infamy, he took an intellectual look at himself and on the basis of that self-examination decided that if he was returned to prison he would neither escape nor, after he released, return to crime. When he was recaptured, he did hardly anything except study and after achieving an external degree from London University was released in 1978 to continue a post-graduate thesis at Leicester University. He then went on to establish himself a reputable journalist and broadcaster.

About this edition

• Publisher: Artnik Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0099110601
• ISBN 13: 9780099110606
• Binding: Paperback