Book Review - Don't Call Me a Crook!: A Scotsman's Tale of World Travel, Whisky and Crime by Bob Moore
Category Book Review Bob Moore Don't Call Me a Crook!: A Scotsman's Tale of World Travel Whisky and Crime
These days, just about anyone can document their travels and adventures via many different methods... print-on-demand, blogs, YouTube, etc. But 80 years ago, writing one's memoirs involved actually putting pen to paper, and then hoping that someone could find and buy your book. Don't Call Me a Crook!: A Scotsman's Tale of World Travel, Whisky and Crime by Bob Moore is one such work that apparently had very few readers when it was released in 1935. There's little record as to who Bob Moore was, and how his story came to be told. But their loss is our gain in this reissue, as Moore is quite the character. His ethics and choices are definitely driven by the particular situation he finds himself in, and his situations are quite unusual most of the time...
His main contention that he is not a crook is based on his definition of a man who steals things from others. He merely swipes what he needs or when an opportunity exists that he can opportunistically exploit. For instance, he was invited to a Shriner's gathering where ceremonies were taking place. The ornate swords were locked up afterwards so that the eating and drinking could begin. Moore really wanted a better look at the swords, so he broke the lock on the box that stored them. Seeing such an exquisite work made him think it would be a shame not to have one as a souvenir, and besides, it looked as if that was a really large ruby in the handle. As he was on a ship back over to England, he showed one of the stewards his great find. But it turns out the steward was also a Shriner, knew about the missing sword, and pleaded with Moore to dump it overboard before the 400 other Shriners on board found out about it. He faked throwing it out the porthole to calm down the steward, and then turned around and sold the sword to another passenger. He felt that it was much more useful to get $100 from the sword than to dump it at a total loss, and besides, he wasn't responsible for what the Shriners might do to the new owner, was he? :)
His travels took him around the world, usually as part of an attempt to evade someone who wasn't thrilled with a prior transaction with Moore. And even though he would often show up in a new location with little more than the clothes on his back, he could usually find a new friend to feed and water him for awhile until the latest "swiping" took place. But it wasn't stealing, as he wasn't a crook... :) And once he had a fair amount of money in his possession, it was time to move on again, onto the next great adventure waiting to be experienced..
The editors at Dissident Books did an excellent job in bringing this little-known classic back to life. They cleaned up the sequencing of Moore's travels, so that everything flowed in a chronological order. In addition, they footnoted some of the more antiquated terms and phrases that have lost meaning over the years, or that don't translate well from Moore's Scottish background. The result is an enjoyable read of a very much over-the-top individual who lived and played as hard as he could.
These days, just about anyone can document their travels and adventures via many different methods... print-on-demand, blogs, YouTube, etc. But 80 years ago, writing one's memoirs involved actually putting pen to paper, and then hoping that someone could find and buy your book. Don't Call Me a Crook!: A Scotsman's Tale of World Travel, Whisky and Crime by Bob Moore is one such work that apparently had very few readers when it was released in 1935. There's little record as to who Bob Moore was, and how his story came to be told. But their loss is our gain in this reissue, as Moore is quite the character. His ethics and choices are definitely driven by the particular situation he finds himself in, and his situations are quite unusual most of the time...
His main contention that he is not a crook is based on his definition of a man who steals things from others. He merely swipes what he needs or when an opportunity exists that he can opportunistically exploit. For instance, he was invited to a Shriner's gathering where ceremonies were taking place. The ornate swords were locked up afterwards so that the eating and drinking could begin. Moore really wanted a better look at the swords, so he broke the lock on the box that stored them. Seeing such an exquisite work made him think it would be a shame not to have one as a souvenir, and besides, it looked as if that was a really large ruby in the handle. As he was on a ship back over to England, he showed one of the stewards his great find. But it turns out the steward was also a Shriner, knew about the missing sword, and pleaded with Moore to dump it overboard before the 400 other Shriners on board found out about it. He faked throwing it out the porthole to calm down the steward, and then turned around and sold the sword to another passenger. He felt that it was much more useful to get $100 from the sword than to dump it at a total loss, and besides, he wasn't responsible for what the Shriners might do to the new owner, was he? :)
His travels took him around the world, usually as part of an attempt to evade someone who wasn't thrilled with a prior transaction with Moore. And even though he would often show up in a new location with little more than the clothes on his back, he could usually find a new friend to feed and water him for awhile until the latest "swiping" took place. But it wasn't stealing, as he wasn't a crook... :) And once he had a fair amount of money in his possession, it was time to move on again, onto the next great adventure waiting to be experienced..
The editors at Dissident Books did an excellent job in bringing this little-known classic back to life. They cleaned up the sequencing of Moore's travels, so that everything flowed in a chronological order. In addition, they footnoted some of the more antiquated terms and phrases that have lost meaning over the years, or that don't translate well from Moore's Scottish background. The result is an enjoyable read of a very much over-the-top individual who lived and played as hard as he could.
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