I Was a Prisoner.
by William Holt
John Miles. Hardback first edition 1935
155 pages, Illustrated by Arthur Wragg
Book: Ex-library copy but with minimal markings. Small library bookplate inside cover with a stamp on bottom of title page and last page of text. A good, tightly bound copy, in clean black boards with silver spine. A scarce title. Dustwrapper: Small tear bottom edge, else good+, price clipped
REF. 000800
I Was a Prisoner (1935) by William Holt is an autobiographical account of Holt’s imprisonment following his participation in a 1932 protest against the Means Test, a policy restricting unemployment benefits. The book describes the harsh realities of prison life, the treatment of inmates, and the social injustices faced by unemployed workers during the Depression. Through personal experience, Holt criticises poverty, inequality, and the penal system while highlighting human resilience, solidarity, and the need for social reform in Britain