author
A-No. 1
1872–1944
An early American rail-rider who turned life on the road into bestselling adventure memoirs, this writer became one of the best-known figures in hobo culture. His books mix danger, humor, and sharp-eyed observation from years spent traveling by freight train.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Known to readers as A-No. 1, Leon Ray Livingston was born in 1872 and became famous as a traveler, memoirist, and self-styled "King of the Hobos." He rode freight trains across the United States and beyond, building a public reputation as "The Rambler" and later writing books drawn from those years on the road.
Livingston is closely associated with hobo signs and symbols, and accounts of his life often credit him with helping develop or popularize that system. His autobiographical books helped preserve a vivid picture of tramp and hobo life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, blending adventure stories with practical knowledge about survival, work, and travel.
What still makes his work stand out is its directness. He wrote from experience, with the voice of someone who had seen rail yards, rough camps, odd jobs, and long miles firsthand, giving modern readers a lively window into a part of American life that is rarely described from the inside.