14 and looking for good books to read on anarchism

[Tripp]

What are some books about anarchism that you would suggest for me?

I'm 14 and I became interested in libertarianism when my friends started acting punk and wore patches with the Anarchy 'A' printed on it. I didn't like the style or the music but I started researching and reading about anarchism and communism. I first read Karl Marx's A Communist Manifesto and there was some stuff I agreed with him on (such as surplus labor value) and ALOT of things I disagreed with him on (dictatorship of the proletariat). Then I read 'The Works of Peter Kropotkin' and absolutely loved it. It was perfect. His arguments against the prison system were genius and it really opened my eyes. Since then I've read Chomsky, Prodhoun (although Mutualism is hard to understand for me), and Bakunin. What are some authors that are like the ones I listed?
I can read fairly well so there aren't many books that are too complicating to me (except Nietzsche)

and please explain to me what mutualism is.

thanks

[Catmatic Leftist]

Read Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman. You'll learn a lot about the US Anarchist movement from their works.

And from what I know, Mutualism seems to be a type of market socialism.

[Tripp]

i know mutualists support worker owned cooperatives. what i don't understand is why Proudhon said that property is theft but he also didn't want to abolish private property

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

Pssh, one of Bakunin's main argument against Marx was that he was a Jew!

Anything by Magon or about the Zapatistas would be interesting (Magon was influenced by krpotkin)

[darth_revan]

Nestor Makhno. You can read about the makhnovist movement.

[Rss]

and ALOT of things I disagreed with him on (dictatorship of the proletariat).

May I ask, why?

[F9]

Errico Malatesta!Its a must.;)

[The Idler]

An Anarchist FAQ (http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/index.html), Iain McKay.
Mutualist authors include Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Benjamin Tucker and Kevin Carson, but all their books are very dense I'm afraid. You can learn a lot from Wikipedia.

[Veg_Athei_Socialist]

The Floodgates Of Anarchy - Stuart Christie and Albert Meltzer
Anarcho-Syndicalism: Theory & Practice - Rudolph Rocker

[Catmatic Leftist]

The Floodgates Of Anarchy - Stuart Christie and Albert Meltzer
Anarcho-Syndicalism: Theory & Practice - Rudolph Rocker

:thumbup1: Rudolph Rocker is an excellent source of information about Anarchism.

[Widerstand]

Alexander Berkman - The ABC of Anarcho-Communism
Emma Goldman - Anarchism and other essays
Errico Malatesta - get everything you can get

Not Anarchist, but has a beautiful, Communist theory of anti-Statism:
John Holloway - Change The World Without Taking Power

Also, an absolute must is the Platform Draft:
http://www.nestormakhno.info/english/newplatform/introduction.htm

[Os Cangaceiros]

Well, I'm actually not so much of a fan of explicitely anarchist authors, mostly because the older anarchist tracts are kind of hard to relate to (IMO...but then again, the same goes for all communist tracts from that time period), as well as the fact that often I find anarchism to be "theoretically impoverished". But anyway:

Malatesta - Malatesta is someone who I think a lot of anarchists look up to today because of how unblemished his reputation is. He wasn't a bigot (unlike Proudhon and Bakunin) and he had a correct opinion regarding world war one (unlike Kropotkin). If nothing else I feel that Malatesta provides a good exposition of anarchist philosophy, more than anything else.

Rudolf Rocker's Anarcho-Syndicalism - I own this in paperback form. It has an afterward by Rocker published after WW2, so it's a bit more contemporary than some anarchist writing circa 1880 or something. It also has one of the best introductions to anarchist history that I've ever read...it's remarkably concise yet complete (even mentioning little-known figures in American individualist anarchist history like Francis Tandy and others). Some perspective from Rocker on the early labor movement is also provided.

Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics Of Anarchism & Syndicalism, Vol. 1 by Michael Schmidt and Lucien Van Der Walt - This book basically changed my life. Well, my ideological life anyway. It's without a doubt (in my mind, anyway) the best anarchist writing in the last 50 years, at least. The entire book (which comes in at 500 pages) is devoted to the theory of anarchism as it's developed over the years; vol. 2, which is forthcoming, is devoted to the history of anarchism, and I guess it's supposedly twice the size of the first book or something absurd like that. Black Flame is written from a very specific, biased ideological perspective (Platformism), which I don't agree entirely with, but it does make very valid points, as well as bringing to light many sizable anarchist movements that I had never heard of (such as anarchist movements in the Third World).


and please explain to me what mutualism is.

Read Mutualist Political Economy by Kevin Carson. Or read what Shawn Wilbur has to say on the subject on his website. AK Press is releasing a 700 page compilation of Proudhon's writings called Property Is Theft! soon (Proudhon is a really unfairly maligned writer...a lot of what people think about him is based on secondhand knowledge and misinterpretations of his admittedly dense writing style...he was a bigot on a personal level, but a lot of his writings are actually pretty intelligent. Also, most of his writings haven't been translated yet).

Anyway, of course there are other notable writers...Bakunin is OK, Goldman is good mostly for moralistic or philosophical justifications for anarchism, Kropotkin's Conquest Of Bread is a classic of course, etc.

[RED DAVE]

The Two Souls of Socialism (http://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/)

This is an good, general introduction to socialism. It also contains a critique of anarchism, which you should be aware of. This is a pamphlet; the entire text is online.

RED DAVE

[Os Cangaceiros]

Almost forgot: you might want to look at some of the writings of Alfredo Bonanno. I got into his work relatively recently, namely Armed Joy (for which he was imprisoned by the Italian state) and Palestine, Mon Amour. The latter in particular is an interesting example of the concept of national liberation from an anarchist perspective.

I think that he's still in jail, unfortunately. Good ol' Italian anarchists.

[Rooster]

Edit: Oops, read this thread wrong.... er... I've only half read Conquest of Bread.... didn't much care for it to be honest.

[Dóchas]

If you want theory check out

ABC Of Anarchism - Alexander Berkman
Conquest of Bread - Peter Kropotkin

Errico Malatesta and Buenaventura Durruti are pretty good as well.

Also Anarchism, A Short Introduction - Colin Ward is quite good as well if you want a brief history of it.

Most of the suggestions here are a good place to start. Theory is good but getting active is just as important :)

EDIT: This is also good Anarchy Archives (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/)

EDIT2: I keep remembering good things! No Gods No Masters - Daniel Guerin Its basically a anthology of many different writings of various anarchists. If I was getting anything id get this because its full of good literature and its cheaper than buying then all in separate books!

[Victus Mortuum]

Highly highly recommended as a place to start:
http://www.infoshop.org/page/AnAnarchistFAQ

[Soldier of life]

Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder - Lenin

[Os Cangaceiros]

Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder - Lenin

fail

[Soldier of life]

fail

Oh U knwz internetz

[Os Cangaceiros]

damn straight

[Os Cangaceiros]

But seriously, you really are a fucking tool.

[danieldietas]

I recommend too read about the makhnovist movement.:thumbup1:

[Die Rote Fahne]

The works of Rosa Luxemburg may turn you back on to Marxism.

[StalinFanboy]

Almost forgot: you might want to look at some of the writings of Alfredo Bonanno. I got into his work relatively recently, namely Armed Joy (for which he was imprisoned by the Italian state) and Palestine, Mon Amour. The latter in particular is an interesting example of the concept of national liberation from an anarchist perspective.

I think that he's still in jail, unfortunately. Good ol' Italian anarchists.

Bonanno has been freed fairly recently I believe

But yeah everything that Explosive Situation has said is good. You should also check out "At Daggers Drawn." Another really good one is "Autonomous Self-Organization and Anarchist Intervention" by Wolfi Landstreicher.

I dunno if it's by an anarchist but The Right to be Lazy is really good.

[Son of a Strummer]

I would suggest "Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction" by Colin Ward. It is concise but still pretty informative.

[NGNM85]

I would recommend first reading the Anarchist FAQ, if you haven't, already;

http://www.infoshop.org/page/AnAnarchistFAQ

Then I'd read Emma Goldman's Anarchism & Other Essays. I'd also check out basic intros by Bakunin, Kropotkin, and Alexander Berkman. Much of this can be found, for free, on websites such as the Anarchy Archives;

http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/

I also recommend Daniel Guerin's Anarchism, as well as his two-part No Gods, No Masters.

The best single study of Anarchism, in total, is, without a doubt, Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism, by Peter Marshall.

I also highly recommend the AK press compilation; Chomsky on Anarchism, this is absolutely essential, but I suggest you read some of the others, first, it might not be the best for beginners. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, or want any more suggestions.

EDIT- I'd also be happy to help you out with understanding Nietzsche.

[The Idler]

Demanding the Impossible by Peter Marshall aswell perhaps?

[nuisance]

I've tried to put some newer stuff out there, which I reckon are more fun to read than alot of the old, more boring pieces.

The Coming Insurrection- Invisible Committee (mainly cos it's written really well, making it a pleasure to read)

Armed Joy- Bonanno

At the Cafe- Malatesta

A talk about anarchist-communism between two workers- Malatesta (a really underappreciated work, imo)
http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/malatesta/MalatestaCW.html

The Insurrectional Project- Bonanno

325 mag
http://325.nostate.net/?page_id=165

Fire to the Prisons mag
http://firetotheprisons.angelfire.com/

This site is really good- http://www.reocities.com/kk_abacus/ioaa/ioaa.html

All this stuff should be available on www.theanarchistlibrary.org (http://www.theanarchistlibrary.org)

[bricolage]

The Two Souls of Socialism (http://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/)

This is an good, general introduction to socialism. It also contains a critique of anarchism, which you should be aware of. This is a pamphlet; the entire text is online.

RED DAVE
This is a terrible critique, who really cares what Proudhon said? Anarchism has had nothing to do with him probably since he died.

[Bardo]

I suggest reading something on the Spanish civil war. 1930s Catalonia is vital to the history of anarchism.

[∞]

Eugene Debs is good for someone new to socialism.

[The Idler]

Not sure how difficult it is, but Gustav Landauer is supposed to be one of the most underrated anarchists.

[Widerstand]

Not sure how difficult it is, but Gustav Landauer is supposed to be one of the most underrated anarchists.

I heard only good about him. Never got around to reading him though.

[Across The Street]

When I was about your age, possibly a little younger, I first discovered actual anarchist literature myself. I can't remember the exact name of the book I first picked up at the library, but it was a biography of Bakunin written in the early 90's that explained more about him than I ever got from his actual writings. I can tell you though, looking at his writings and actual history, he wasn't anti-semitic, though he believed in conspiracies about Jewish people and in fact was a conspirator himself. Nobody can say whether or not he would have been a dictator, the spirit he invoked in people of his time says otherwise. A lot of awesome recommendations, there's a treasure trove of anarchist writings about and by anarchists on the internet, as well as plenty of places where you can order hard-copies of books, or at least resources that can point you in the direction of some good bookstores.

http://www.christiebooks.com/ChristieBooksWP/

One of the best, lots of anarchist films for free online as well, dig it.

[bricolage]

Here (http://www.jewdas.org/2010/06/landauer/) is an interview with some guy who translated a load of Landauer.

[∞]

Its a good thing you keep an open mind, when I was 14 I was a complete idiot.

[Bardo]

^Indeed. When I was 14 I was going to change the world with my music maaaan

[Luc]

God and the Sate by Mikhail Bakunin gives you an anarchist perspective of religion. I haven't read it (hard to get anarchist books where I'm at) but I have seen some quotes from it and it looked interesting.

[SacRedMan]

If you live in Belgium: "Anarchistische beweging in België"

ps: i'm 14 years old to, and would like to argue with you about the disagreements with Marx

[RED DAVE]

Try this: it's a comic book!

Wobblies: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World (http://www.amazon.com/Wobblies-Graphic-History-Industrial-Workers/dp/1844675254)

RED DAVE

[The Teacher]

Read Goldman for certain. Remember that a lot of these leftist books were written in past centuries and the details may no longer be relevent.

[Zanthorus]

I dunno if it's by an anarchist but The Right to be Lazy is really good.

'The Right to be Lazy' is by Marx's son in law Paul Lafargue who, among other things, was involved in the struggle against the Bakuninists and for the creation of a political party in the IWMA's Spanish section and in the split (Supported by Marx and Engels) between the 'possibilists' of the Federation of the Socialist Workers' of France and the 'impossibilists' of the Parti Ouvrier (On the PO's side of course). Although he was a Proudhonist originally his hands were too tainted by such horrors as partyism, political struggle and leadership to be a part of the Anarchist tradition.

[Тачанка]

Black Flame: Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism

Relatively new.

[Rusty Shackleford]

edit: shit i didnt see the part about ON ANARCHISM

i just read 14 and looking for books.


well, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution by kropotkin is pretty good.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

Anarchists have no theoretical basis to their beliefs just hope and faith on something that has never succeeded or tried with any degree of success. :lol:
I better warn PETA, because you're beating that dead horse again.

[#FF0000]

Anarchists have no theoretical basis to their beliefs just hope and faith on something that has never succeeded or tried with any degree of success. :lol:

Stop posting.

[RedSunRising]

http://libcom.org/library/unfinished-business-politics-of-class-war

This is an introductory book to their politics by an anarchist group who were actually quite cool.

[Ele'ill]

My posts have no theoretical basis to their beliefs just hope and faith on something that has never succeeded or tried with any degree of success. :lol:

Fixed and warned.

[MarxSchmarx]

Although it is not anarchist-specific and applies to most leftist tendencies, the folks over at

http://www.prole.info/

have several excellent "comic books" that introduce the heart of a leftist's critique against capitalism. There is a libertarian undercurrent but on the whole they stay clear of the Marxist/anarchist divide. They can all be read in less than an hour and whoever put them together has a terrific design sense.

[Bronco]

This is a terrible critique, who really cares what Proudhon said? Anarchism has had nothing to do with him probably since he died.

Even if you disagree with him, everyone in the Anarchist movement should care what Proudhon said, he was the first self-titled Anarchist and "What is property?" is an incredibly influential piece of writing


i know mutualists support worker owned cooperatives. what i don't understand is why Proudhon said that property is theft but he also didn't want to abolish private property

Indeed, Proudhon is most famous for saying "Property is theft" but also said "property is freedom", with the latter he was referring to the fruits of each individuals labour, that was the only kind of property he considered legitimate

[hatzel]

If we're going to be discussing the relative merits of Proudhon, let's go back to the first page:


AK Press is releasing a 700 page compilation of Proudhon's writings called Property Is Theft! soon

This book is now released, has been read by none other than me, and is definitely worth buying. Yup! Welcome to the book review thread :)

[Sasha]

I would advise you to for a while disregard all suggestions on political theoretical works given so far and begin with (auto)biographys and such. they are way more easy to begin with.
Some suggestions:
living my live, emma goldman.
bash the rich, Ian bone
how it all began, bommi bauman

also, watch some movies
land and freedom to begin with

[Desperado]

God and the Sate by Mikhail Bakunin gives you an anarchist perspective of religion. I haven't read it (hard to get anarchist books where I'm at) but I have seen some quotes from it and it looked interesting.

Nah, I don't recommend. There are some little gems, but Bakunin writers in a lyrical style, concentrates on a nuanced "materialism versus idealism" paradigm of little relevance to today and it's generally lacking in clear, common sense arguments for anarchism. It's more like poetry than politics, a big story rather than theory.

[W1N5T0N]

great thread! now I have some good reading material for the summer :thumbup:

I can also add a good book: "Media Control" by Noam Chomsky.

I don't know any other people at my college that read Chomsky or Bakunin. So I have fun by involving my friends, who aren't into political theory, into disucssion about current events from a communist viewpoint. Also, a good tip how to ruin dinner convo with your parents is to start talking about surplus value and how capitalism enslaves its workers. Its a killer ;)

[RED DAVE]

The novels of Victor Serge are written from a revolutionary anarchist perspective. Conquered City is a good one to start with.

RED DAVE

[Leftsolidarity]

If you want to find any kind of literature (they have speeches too) you should check out http://marxists.org/
They have huge anarchist/communist/socialist/etc. archieves of literature and I spent this entire school year blowing off my classes just to read the stuff on there. I highly recommend looking through the website.

Also, I was an anarchist for awhile with your same reasoning as to not liking Marx but I found it all came to a misunderstanding of what "dictatorship of the proletariat" actually meant and how it should manifest itself. You should read "The State and Revolution" by Lenin even if you don't 100 percent agree with it because it is very interesting.