Freedom Press

Why Work? is a provocative collection of essays and illustrations by writers and artists from the nineteenth century through to today, dissecting "work," its form under capitalism, and the possibilities for an alternative society. It asks, Why do some of us still work until we drop in an age of vast automated production, while others starve for lack of work? Where is the leisure society that was promised? Edited by Freedom Press, this collection includes contributions from luminaries of the past such as William Morris and Bertrand Russell, contemporary theorists such as David Graeber and Juliet Schor, and illustrated examinations of workplace potentials and pitfalls from Clifford Harper and Prole.info.

Lessons of the Spanish Revolution examines the many ways in which Spain's revolutionary movement contributed to its own defeat. Was it too weak to carry through the revolution? To what extent was the purchase of arms and raw materials from outside sources dependent upon the appearance of a constitutional government inside Republican Spain? What chances had an improvised army of guerrillas against a trained fighting force? These were some of the practical problems facing the revolutionary movement and its leaders. But, in seeking to solve these problems, the anarchists and revolutionary syndicalists were also confronted with other fundamental questions. Could they collaborate with political parties and reformist unions? Given the circumstances, was one form of government to be supported against another? Should the revolutionary impetus of the first days of resistance be halted in the interests of the armed struggle against Franco or be allowed to develop as far as the workers were prepared to take it? Was the situation such that the social revolution could triumph and, if not, what was to be the role of the revolutionary workers? Originally written as a series of weekly articles in the 1950s and expanded, republished, and translated into many languages over the years, Vernon Richards's analysis remains essential reading for all those interested in revolutionary praxis.

Journey through Utopia is a richly detailed and critically compelling examination of utopian literature, beginning with Plato's Republic and continuing through to Huxley's Brave New World. Utopias have been penned with diverse intentions, some as pictures of an ideal society, some as blueprints for action, yet others, especially in times of severe censorship, as covert criticisms of existing conditions. Marie Louise Berneri exposes the dark shadow that lingers above most utopian works by emphasizing the intolerant and authoritarian nature of these visions, and she warns of the doom that awaits those foolish enough to put their trust in an ordered and regimented world. This edition is framed with an Introduction from Matthew S. Adams that situates Berneri's work in the context of her life, and concludes with an Afterword from Rhiannon Firth that extends Berneri's analysis into contemporary utopias. Journey through Utopia is a necessary companion, and in many cases an antidote, to imagined fictions from antiquity to the present.

Today the word "anarchism" inspires both fear and fascination. But, few people understand what anarchists believe, what anarchists want, and what anarchists do. This incisive book puts forward the case for anarchism as a pragmatic philosophy. Originally written in 1969 and updated for the twenty-first century, About Anarchism is an uncluttered, precise, and urgently necessary expression of practical anarchism. Crafted in deliberately simple prose and without constant reference to other writers or past events, it can be understood without difficulty and without any prior knowledge of political ideology. This edition includes an updated introduction from Natasha Walter and an expanded biographical sketch of the author, Nicolas Walter, who was a respected writer, journalist, and an active protester against the powers of both the church and the state.

In the accounts of the radical movements that have shaped our history, anarchism has received a raw deal. Its visions and aims have been distorted and misunderstood, its achievements forgotten. The British anarchist movement during the years 1880-1930, while borrowing from Europe, was self-actuated and independent, with a vibrant tale all its own. In The Slow Burning Fuse, John Quail shows a history largely obscured and rewritten following 1919 and the triumph of Leninist communism. The time has arrived to resurrect the works of the early anarchist clubs, their unsung heroes, tumultuous political activities, and searing manifestos so that a truer image of radical dissent and history can be formed. Quail's story of the anarchists is one of utopias created in imagination and half-realized in practice, of individual fights and movements for freedom and self-expression, a story still being written today.