1998 edition; Leon W. Thompson, Publisher; signed on inside cover by inmate Leon Whitey Thompson to book owner "Ruth" (pic); hardbound with red boards and inmate photo on front cover; very good conditon - appears unread.
 
Author's Note -
"The writing of this book has been one of the biggest challenges of my life, for I never went past the sixth grade in school, and I received no formal education while in prison...The writing ... was done without a ghost writer or professional help.  It is the true story of my life, every incident actually occurred, and all the characters are real although some of the names have been changed."
 
Forward (by John Martini, Park Historian) -
"Most history books are written from a distance - the distance of years that allows the historian to put people and events into a wider scope of reference.  For four years Whitey Thompson's scope of reference was a twelve acre rock in the middle of San Francisco Bay, and the stories he tells in this book are related from a distance I can never truly appreciate - the inside of the joint."